In the tradition of absurd theater, Thomas Maul's sense of the bizarre and quirky repeatedly creates comedic moments that keep the audience or reader at a distance from the events—without allowing them the comfortable feeling of having nothing to do with what is presented. Unlike Beckett's characters, who exist more or less in isolation, Maul's characters are defined by their stronger grotesque interactions. They do not even wait. They know no transcendence, not even a negative one. They are condemned to all presence. With a postscript by Bernd Volkert.