Shazia Anwer Cheema’s book entitled “An Introduction to European Theater – History of Performing Arts from Greek Period to 20th Century ”has been published.
Shazia is a Prague-based journalist, writer and foreigner affairs expert, who writes for national And international media. He made his MPhil in Cognitive semiotics of the University of Aarhus in Denmark and is currently enrolled as a PhD of Semiotics and philosophy of Communication at the Carlo University in Prague.
The book is written on the history of European theater from the Greek period to the 20th century. It covers the trip of visual and performing arts and philosophical movements that spread over 2500 years.
According to the author, art it is always a mirror of time giving absolute justification for the idea that any art the form cannot be understood in a void. Artistic work it is an organic process that is born with the help of some binary forces like politicseconomics and social fabrics of that time. First in the shape of then an idea is transformed in philosophy and then it is realized in artistic forms.
He said that sometimes a philosophy provides fertile ground for artistic genres and more times artistic experimentation creates a philosophical sphere, adding it in both ways, historypolitics, and sociology cannot be filtered out from art.
To understand, visual, performative and literary art, the reader’s trajectory must be social and political history of art and artist, he said, adding that any book is written on visual art being literary art art it is equally a book on historyfilosophy e politics and it is useful for historians, philosophy students and students of politics.
When asked why she decided to write this book, the author said that while she was doing her doctorate in Semiotics and philosophy of Communication and research on theater as an art form, in particularly the European theater, he came across in an overwhelming number of books on almost all aspects of European theater, written by experts for the experts, adding that a regular reader or student it can hardly have any substantial information from these books.
He said that books ranging from Greek theater to contemporary theater are not written in correct chronological order or provide any direct links from point A to point B.
“I have decided to enter the labyrinth of fragmented history confused with politics overlaid with socioeconomic, claustrophobic since amount of provided information. I figured out one simple rule to find mine way outstring historypoliticse philosophy in one hand and thread of chronology in another hand. i moved from one indicate the next as a historian and tried to link the performance art with it’s time. The organic process of evolution was a key factor during my trip. That is why this book is not just on the theater history or theatrical production ”, she added.
He said everyday readers would not find the book laborious, adding that students and researchers would also find it useful for clarity of shape and content.
