UNO duo offers first English translation for historic play

The play's protagonist, Franz Jägerstätter, was an Austrian farmer who decided to stand up to the Nazi force.
The play's protagonist, Franz Jägerstätter, was an Austrian farmer who decided to stand up to the Nazi force. | File photo
The University of New Orleans recently released a historical foreign drama titled “Jägerstätter" about a Catholic's life during the Nazi reign in Austria.

The protagonist, Franz Jägerstätter, was a farmer. Although he did not life a perfectly moral life, he decided to stand up to the Nazi force. He stated that he would not be part of a political party that contradicted his religion and was executed. In 2007, he was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI.

Until now, the play had never been published in English, but thanks to the dedication of Gregor Thuswaldner and Robert Dassanowsky it will be accessible and understandable for English audiences.

Thuswaldner serves as the professor of German and linguistics at Gordon College and Dassanowsky is the professor of German and film at the University of Colorado. Günter Bischof, the series editor, is from Austria, though he is also a graduate of UNO, where he is also a university research professor.

The play was published as part of a series from the university's press.