Fragments of a Farewell Letter Read by Geologists

David E. Kemp, former drama professor at Queen’s University, is the
author of The Pleasures and Treasures of the United Kingdom.

Normand Chaurette is probably Quebec’s most prolific and
internationally produced playwright. The English translations of
Chaurette’s plays—including this one—have all been undertaken by
Linda Gaboriau. Of her translations, Chaurette has this to say: “She
appropriates the world of the play without compromise. ... [S]he
possesses a writer’s sensibility and understanding of the language, a
background whereby she translates my work with the eyes and ears of a
writer.”

Fragments of a Farewell Letter Read by Geologists concerns an inquiry
into the failure of a scientific expedition and the death of one of its
geologists in Cambodia. The play’s inauspicious title, formal setting,
and seemingly undramatic subject matter lead one to expect a dry and
unemotional theatrical experience. However, Chaurette ventures far
beyond factual reports; in this brilliantly written play, he confronts
some of the most frightening questions facing our civilization as the
millennium draws to a close.