The concept of “the solidarity of the shaken” – a connection forged between adversaries even amidst conflict – profoundly shaped the work of playwright Wajdi Mouawad, stemming from the writings of Czech philosopher Jan Patočka (1907-1977).
“We Are All the Shaken”
Table of Contents
Mouawad’s life experiences – a childhood marked by civil war in Lebanon, exile, loss, and a struggle against restrictive identity – resonated deeply with Patočka’s idea. He describes this “solidarity of the shaken” as becoming an obsession in both his life and his creative work. From his early days in Quebec, and a friendship with a producer at Radio-Canada, Mouawad discovered Patočka and internalized the notion that “We are all the shaken, even when two enemies on a battlefield are shooting at each other.” He realized that even in the face of profound division, a shared humanity could unite people. “I realized that this word of being shaken united us,” he explains. “As soon as you introduce humanity, you are shaken.”
The Distinction Between Possessing and Seeking Truth
After reading Patočka’s Essays on the Philosophy of History, Mouawad was struck by a simple yet profound question: “What difference is there between possessing the truth and seeking the truth?” He found himself drawn to the latter, preferring the position of a “tenant” rather than an “owner.” He connects this back to the idea of being shaken, illustrating it with the example of two sincere individuals locked in conflict, each passionately defending their perspective, yet capable of sharing their journey to the other. Empathy, he suggests, can emerge from such encounters, reducing the perceived scale of disagreement. “This advance towards the other, taking the risk that the other advances towards you so that disagreement, conflict arises, that is exactly what theater is,” he says. “It completely changed my way of working, changed my way of writing.”
“He’s an extraordinary author who writes like no other, but I can’t read Christian Bobin, I’m too close to what he talks about,” Mouawad confessed, contrasting his experience with Patočka to that of reading the late writer and poet Christian Bobin. While Patočka revealed new perspectives, reading Bobin offered no fresh insights.
Further Exploration
Mouawad currently serves as Director of the Théâtre national de la Colline, a position he has held since 2016. He is also a novelist, having published Visage retrouvé (2002) and Anima (2012) with Actes Sud. His lessons at the Collège de France will be published in September 2025 as Jusqu’au bord de son ravin, Les verbes de l’écriture, by Editions Seuil. He recently directed a production of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, performed from November 2 to November 12, 2025, at the Opéra comique in Paris. His play, Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes, a work from his youth dating back to 1998, will be staged at the Théâtre de la Colline from January 21 to March 8, 2026.
Audio References
- Jan Patočka Archive recording, February 27, 1977, just days before his death on March 13, 1977, broadcast on Antenne 2 on June 29, 1977.
- Text 1. “The Solidarity of the Shaken,” Jan Patočka, Essays on the Philosophy of History, “The Wars of the 20th Century and the 20th Century as War,” Verdier editions, 1975, translated from Czech by Erika Abrams, p.207. Read by Nicolas Berger.
- Text 2. How to Make the Solidarity of the Shaken a Historical Factor, Jan Patočka, Essays on the Philosophy of History, “The Wars of the 20th Century and the 20th Century as War,” Verdier editions, 1975, translated from Czech by Erika Abrams, p.214. Read by Nicolas Berger.
- Song. Freddy Zegers, Je n’ai pas aimé.
