The Physicists 1st Edition by Friedrich Durrenmatt ISBN 0802144276 9780802144270

In the first edition of The Physicists (Die Physiker, 1962) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, the introduction sets the stage in the drawing room of a secluded Swiss sanatorium, once a luxurious villa, now a psychiatric institution run by the enigmatic Dr. von Zahnd. The peaceful surroundings—a picturesque landscape near a lake—stand in stark contrast to the unsettling events that unfold. This juxtaposition reflects Dürrenmatt’s central theme: the collision between reason and madness in a world where scientific knowledge has outpaced moral responsibility. Through detailed stage directions and precise setting, Dürrenmatt invites the audience into a space where sanity, identity, and truth are questioned—laying the foundation for a tragicomic exploration of power, ethics, and the dangerous consequences of unrestrained intellectual discovery.