‘Das grosse Turnierfeld, auf dem sie sich versuchen’ Erich Fried’s Work for German Radio

The following article presents and discusses three little‐known radio plays by the exile writer Erich Fried. Izanagi und Izanami , Die Expedition and Indizienbeweise are examined within the overall context of Fried’s other work, including his translations and reworkings for West German radio. In the 1960s Fried was new to the genre of drama and his radio plays demonstrate a process of experimentation similar to that present in his poetry and prose works. Each of Fried’s radio dramas is radically different both in theme and form. The sources of and inspiration for these radio dramas are identified and the creative process is examined. The study devotes greatest attention to arguably the most successful of these experiments, Izanagi und Izanami . Like other writers such as Brecht, Fried was attracted to the potential of ancient Japanese literature, and draws on a variety of Japanese sources, adapting excerpts to the demands of his own radio play. Contrary to Fried’s expectations, his radio plays did not lead to works for the stage. They nevertheless prove that he had mastered the genre and hence constitute an important and hitherto neglected phase of experimentation in his career.