Fosse Jon - I Am the Wind

A Young Vic/Thtre de la Ville-Paris co-production, co-commissioned by Wiener Festwochen, les Nuits de Fourvire/Dpartement du Rhne, Festival Grec 2011 Barcelona and Festival dAvignon This production of I Am the Wind was first performed at the Young Vic in May 2011. Jon Fosse English Language Version
by Simon Stephens OBERON BOOKS
LONDON WWW.OBERONBOOKS.COM First published in 2011 by Oberon Books Ltd
Electronic edition published in 2012 Oberon Books Ltd
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www.oberonbooks.com Reprinted in 2012 This version of I Am The Wind copyright Simon Stephens 2011
Translated from the Norwegian Eg er vinden copyright 2008 by Jon Fosse and Det Norske Samlaget. Jon Fosse is hereby identified as author of this play in accordance with section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The author has asserted his moral rights. Simon Stephens is hereby identified as author of this version of this play in accordance with section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The translator has asserted his moral rights.

All rights whatsoever in this play are strictly reserved and application for performance etc. should be made before commencement of rehearsal to Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Limited, Waverley House, 7-12 Noel Street, London W1F 8GQ (). No performance may be given unless a licence has been obtained, and no alterations may be made in the title or the text of the play without the authors prior written consent. You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or binding or by any means (print, electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

PB ISBN: 978-1-84943-071-5
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-84943-609-0 Cover photography by Simon Annand. Printed, bound and converted in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd., Croydon, CR0 4YY. Visit www.oberonbooks.com to read more about all our books and to buy them. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that youre always first to hear about our new releases. The boat and the actions that surround it should be evoked or
suggested rather than represented mimetically.

THE ONE THE OTHER THE ONE I didnt want to I just did it THE OTHER You just did it THE ONE I just did it Short pause THE OTHER It just happened But you were so afraid it would happen Short pause You said that to me quite short pause You told me about it THE ONE I know Pause THE OTHER And then it happened Quite short pause Exactly that which you were afraid would happen Quite short pause Exactly that which you were afraid you would do quite short pause it happened Short pause THE ONE It did Pause THE OTHER Its awful THE ONE Im fine THE OTHER Really THE ONE Ive gone now I left with the wind THE OTHER You left THE ONE Ive gone Short pause Im not here any more breaks off THE OTHER Youre not here THE ONE No Im not here Short pause THE OTHER But THE ONE What THE OTHER Okay short pause right short pause but life quite short pause its not too bad is it quite short pause there are so many places you could be THE ONE short pause Yeah there are or maybe theres nowhere quite short pause but then you have to well quite short pause people have to be somewhere short pause I cant bear the noise quite short pause I cant bear the noise other people make I cant bear the noise of everything quite short pause it weighs me down it overwhelms me Quite short pause THE OTHER You want to be on your own THE ONE I cant be on my own THE OTHER You cant be on your own you cant be with anybody else THE ONE I cant bear all the noise THE OTHER You need quiet THE ONE I need quiet quite short pause and I want everything to be less visible THE OTHER Visible THE ONE Everythings so visible everything can be seen the things that people hide with what they say the things maybe they dont even know about themselves I see all of that THE OTHER You dont want to be around other people THE ONE No THE OTHER But you dont want to be on your own Why dont you want to be on your own THE ONE Because if Im on my own then all I can see is myself and all I can hear is myself quite short pause And I dont like that quite short pause obviously quite short pause I mean breaks off THE OTHER Isnt it better though THE ONE No its not better quite short pause of course its not better quite short pause its worse THE OTHER Dont you like yourself THE ONE No THE OTHER You dont like other people and you dont like yourself THE ONE Yes short pause thats about the size of it Pause THE OTHER What is it you dont like about yourself THE ONE I dont like that Im worthless THE OTHER Youre worthless THE ONE Yes Pause THE OTHER How can you say that Of course youre not worthless Youre worth so much THE ONE Alright Im not worthless short pause but if Im on my own quite short pause and all I can hear is myself right then breaks off THE OTHER Then what THE ONE Then theres nothing there quite short pause and then I start getting heavy THE OTHER You start getting heavy THE ONE Yes THE OTHER Heavy THE ONE I turn into a rock quite short pause and it gets the rock gets heavier and heavier quite short pause I get so heavy that I can barely move quite short pause so heavy that I that I sink quite short pause down and down quite short pause down under the sea I sink down to the bottom and then quite short pause I just lie there at the bottom of the sea Heavy Motionless THE OTHER And then right when youre a rock quite short pause then then you dont say anything THE ONE I can barely speak quite short pause its a struggle to get a single word out to extract a single word quite short pause and then when the word is out when the word has been spoken it feels so heavy quite short pause that it drags me down too quite short pause it makes me sink and sink THE OTHER Is that what its like The words get heavy THE ONE Yes Short pause THE OTHER But why is it like that THE ONE Its just the way it is Short pause THE OTHER Youre a rock Quite short pause And youre grey quite short pause like a rock THE ONE Yes quite short pause like breaks off No not exactly THE OTHER What not exactly THE ONE Not grey THE OTHER What do you mean THE ONE You said grey Its not grey THE OTHER No THE ONE No because its nice grey THE OTHER Nice THE ONE Yes nice and ugly quite short pause grey is the bare little islands and reefs look out there look over there You see the little islands and the reefs Theyre all grey THE OTHER Its nice quite short pause and ugly THE ONE Yes THE OTHER Like the fog THE ONE yeah like the fog you see out in the ocean a bit like the fog