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About
Tannahill’s dramatic text Declarations is certainly one of the most striking and revealing dramatic texts of our century, addressing the current social situation and thus the inevitable catastrophe of the (Western) world not only with its chosen theme but also with the form itself. In its microcosm, the text depicts the author’s mother at the moment when she falls ill with an incurable disease and is about to depart from this world. This starting point (probably) touches on one of the most intimate pains of a human being, when love still exists, but also mercilessly fades away. The loss of a loved one is a kind of loss of home, of security, of stability, which Tannahill emphasizes throughout the text with the recurring phrase "Where is my home?". In doing so, he elevates the intimacy of his own experience to the level of universality, writing a text about belonging, about the longing for community, about the loss of that which is most sacred. Although the premise of the text is woven around a normative understanding of home, Tannahill weaves it into the text in such a way that it speaks to all forms of home we may encounter in the course of our lives. In the year 2025, it is impossible to read this text without noticing allusions to the migrant crisis, World War III and the general collapse of civilization. Declarations is thus a work of autofiction that, like all successful autofictions, draws its power from its ability to speak to a universal truth or common human experience. (Excerpt from the foreword by Benjamin Zajc)
Jordan Tannahill (b. 1988) is a playwright, novelist, and director.
His novels and plays have been translated into twelve languages, and honoured with a number of prizes including two Governor General's Awards for Literature. Tannahill's plays frequently explore the nature of belief, queer identity, power relations, and the body as a political subject. His debut novel, Liminal, was honoured with France's 2021 Prix des Jeunes Libraires. His second novel, The Listeners, was shortlisted for the 2021 Giller Prize, and adapted into a limited series for the BBC. Tannahill's Draw Me Close, an autobiographical performance featuring a fusion of motion capture technology, virtual reality, and animation, was co-produced by London's National Theatre and the National Film Board of Canada. The piece premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, and in a longer iteration at the Venice Biennale the same year. His upcoming play, Prince Faggot, will have its world premiere in New York City this June at Playwrights Horizons, in co-production with Soho Rep. In 2019, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) named Tannahill as one of sixty-nine LGBTQ Canadians, living or deceased, who has shaped the country's history.
Credits
Written by: Jordan Tannahill
Translation: Pino Pograjc
Accompanying text: Benjamin Zajc
Language editing by: Tjaša Pirnar
Proofreading: Tamara Pepelnik
Series editor: Maja Delak
Graphic design: Mauricio Ferlin
Cover photo: Sam Waxman
Print: Tiskarna Grafos d.o.o.
Support
Publisher: Emanat
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