About Damascus
Wednesday 11th February 2009
Last night, I saw David Greig’s Damascus (Traverse, 2007) again, this time at the Tricycle in north London. Once more, I was blown away by its nimble and cerebral inventiveness. At one point, one of the characters, the Syrian Wasim, says, “Nothing has brought more blood to this region than Anglo-Saxon idealism.” It’s a statement that will, unhappily, ring true for many years. At another point, he also says, “Doubt, hesitancy, timidity, uncertainty — these are the ways we go towards the truth. Slowly. Unsure of ourselves. ‘Is this the right way?’ ‘Are you OK?’ ‘How is it for you?’ And through the darkness we go. Slowly we walk forward putting out our hands to feel the damp walls of the cave. Looking for the light.” Nice. I can relate to that. And, by the way, this was also the evening when I first came across Pirate Dog.
© Aleks Sierz
