Description: King of Betajnova / Kralj na Betajnovi is a psychological drama about the personal price one is willing to pay in order to accrue wealth. In this intense play, celebrated Slovenian playwright, Ivan Cankar paints a harrowing portrait of Jozef Kantor, a rich innkeeper whose soul is sullied by murder, greed, and ambition. Kantor is feared by everyone in his village with the exception of young Maks Krnec, who is willing to expose Kantor's sinister deeds. Cankar depicts an epic power struggle the likes of David and Goliath, between the idealist Maks and the ruthless Kantor.
Written in 1902, King of Betajnova tackles themes of family, wealth, and Machiavellian concepts of ends justifying means. Ivan Cankar, playwright, essayist, poet and political activist, is regarded as the greatest writer in the Slovenian language. His work has been compared with the work of Henrik Ibsen, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Franz Kafka, and James Joyce. He is considered the father of modern Slovenian theatre and has had a major influence on almost all Slovenian playwrights thereafter. His playwriting opus consists of 7 full length plays, all featuring a large cast, complex themes, and thoughtful depictions of socioeconomic and political nuances within Slovenian society. To this day, Cankar's plays are still among the most popular dramatic works in Slovenian theatres. Cankar's work is culturally specific but carries ideas that transcend place and time. His essays, poems and prose have been translated into more than 10 languages to date.