Theater Corpus / Lars Skoglund: Epp (2022, WP)

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The novel Epp (1965) by Axel Jensen is one of the most remarkable examples of Norwegian science fiction. 

It’s the story of an old age pensioner (Epp) living in an anonymous housing block in Oblidor. The city is in the land of Gambolia, on an unnamed planet. A study in futility and self-deception, the novel has been interpreted as a satire on the welfare state.

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Epp’s world is highly engineered and regulated, and everyone has their place. The shortness of his name indicates a low social rank. He lives in constant fear of losing a letter and slipping further down the ladder. The grumpy Epp writes reports on everyday life such as boiling eggs, making snacks and feeding his carnivorous plant. In contrast, Epp’s neighbour Lem dreams of an equal society and wants Epp to join a rebellion. In this dirty and dilapidated block of flats, there is a strong nostalgia for the future – a belief that freedom is just around the corner.

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Theater Corpus was founded in 2017 by Tormod Lindgren to produce adult puppet theatre. He has previously staged Edvard Munch’s The City of Free Love, and Simplicissimus, about the German satire magazine which opposed Nazism during the Weimar Republic.

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Theater Corpus / Lars Skoglund: Epp (2022, WP)

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