In Elfriede Jelinek's New Book, Animals Battle Over Money

Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek's latest work, 'Unter Tieren' (Among Animals), presents a darkly comic exploration of the global financial economy through the monologues of a diverse cast of animal characters.

“

It is the perpetuum mobile, it is God, it is that which creates itself and laughs off the worthless junk that was put into it with the greatest effort like glittering dust that takes root in water.

The book features a menagerie including pigeons, a monkey, a hare, a cow, a rat, a donkey, pigs, and even figures like the Lamb of God and a bear's claw. These characters engage in profound, often absurd, discussions about the foundations of the global financial system that governs modern life, revealing their limited understanding of its complexities.

Jelinek uses these animal perspectives to satirize the relentless pursuit of wealth and self-interest inherent in turbo-capitalism. The characters' monologues reflect a belief system centered on the 'I,' money, and endless wanting. They articulate a mantra that 'enough' is never sufficient, yet simultaneously fail to grasp the origins, destinations, or true purpose of money, beyond keeping everyone perpetually occupied.

“

War, hate, desire, greed, all their filth and so on are attributed to a higher being, which they themselves must always be.

'Unter Tieren' critiques the modern obsession with finance, portraying it as a self-generating, god-like entity. The work suggests that traditional religion has waned, replaced by a divine logic of money. Nature itself is reduced from 'the real' to mere 'commodity' or even 'what was,' ruined by the system and humanity. The play ultimately depicts democracy, freedom of the press, and antitrust laws as anachronistic hindrances to progress in a world dominated by 'fake deals' and financial speculation.

“

Democracy, freedom of the press, and antitrust laws are anachronistic trifles that only slow down progress.