A group of high school graduates decides to camp in the Canadian Rockies for their summer holidays. A series of setbacks derails their carefree nature excursion. As events take a turn for the worse, the group must survive while facing food shortages, violent disagreements, the wild North American flora and fauna and a danger coming straight out of the worst nightmares.
Originally written in Greek, āThe Campingā is not an ordinary theatrical play, but rather an epic story that underlines the importance of survival and unity, the sheer thew of nature in the North American continent, as well as the value of courage and determination. Following prose principles and assembled using the structure of a script, its main theme is about the continuous battle between forces of supernatural and ordinary, tradition and progress, light and darkness. The fluidity of dialogues and descriptions, the humorous expressions from everyday life and the build-up of emotions, are aspects that were given additional care. The writer gave his maximum effort and translation skills to convey the core meanings into the Canadian culture of the referenced era, while aiming at preserving the comedic and horror aspects of the language it was initially written.
A group of high school graduates decides to camp in the Canadian Rockies for their summer holidays. A series of setbacks derails their carefree nature excursion. As events take a turn for the worse, the group must survive while facing food shortages, violent disagreements, the wild North American flora and fauna and a danger coming straight out of the worst nightmares.
Originally written in Greek, āThe Campingā is not an ordinary theatrical play, but rather an epic story that underlines the importance of survival and unity, the sheer thew of nature in the North American continent, as well as the value of courage and determination. Following prose principles and assembled using the structure of a script, its main theme is about the continuous battle between forces of supernatural and ordinary, tradition and progress, light and darkness. The fluidity of dialogues and descriptions, the humorous expressions from everyday life and the build-up of emotions, are aspects that were given additional care. The writer gave his maximum effort and translation skills to convey the core meanings into the Canadian culture of the referenced era, while aiming at preserving the comedic and horror aspects of the language it was initially written.
Scene 1
[Monday, 2003/07/14. Gathering at the agreed place]
Jennifer: Are you all ready to set off for our trip, folks?
Tracy: Not yet. Weāre waiting for Frank, Steve and Christine.
Jennifer: The well-known one-hour āshort delayā, eh?
[Frank shows up sweaty, in a hurry]
Frank: Excuse me for being late, guys! My electric toothbrush had a failure!
Jennifer: God! So, are we ready now?
The rest of them: YEAH!!!
Maddie: Uhm... Donāt we have to wait for the other two?
Jennifer: Iām tired, honestly...
[Christine and Steve appear]
Christine: Excuse us for being late! We were trying to find Steveās new belt. And I had lost my bracelet...
Jennifer: Whatever...Ā Come on! Letās go!
[They walk for a few meters]
Thomas: Wait a moment! I forgot to bring bedsheets for my sleeping bag!
Jennifer: Weāll give you one, donāt worry.
Thomas: Gross!
Maddie: Take mine, I washed them yesterday.
Thomas: I know! But still!
Scene 2
[They have travelled a long distance and have moved away from urban and rural areas. They stop on a crossroad]
Jennifer: Hm, letās check the compass...
Frank: You know where weāre heading, right?
Jennifer: What do you think? Do you know how many times Iāve walked down these routes? Donāt forget that I was a camp leader for 3 years and...
Terence: OK dude, we know, letās move on. Which path should we take now?
Jennifer: Alright. Do you see these mosses? We will walk the other way. Then we shall find a rivulet with a tiny waterfall. After we cross it, we have to traverse the foothills of a mountain on our left. After this, we turn down and to the right and then... Youāll get everything on the way, donāt worry.
Frank: Iām starting to worry...
Thomas: Me too!
Lisa: Oh, come on guys, no need to worry! Jenny knows better than all of us. She has explored so many forests and she has been in so many campsites! After all, how far could it be from Redwood Meadows?
Megan: True.
Jennifer: Great. Letās go right.
Scene 3
[They head for the dense forest preceding the foothills. They move away from the hikers' trail]
Maddie: Iāve heard that there are mountain lions around here. Better not stray too far.
Jennifer: Rarely. Most recent sighting was 5 years ago. Besides, we will not stroll up the mountains...
Helen: If possible, can we get home before Sunday?
Jennifer: Why is that?
Helen: Well, itās Maryās big party and all the popular ones from school will be there and you know...
Jennifer: OK, weāll try to get back before Saturday. But we discussed about it and you didnāt have any objections. I donāt understand...
Helen: Yes, youāre right. Itās that I need time to prepare but I didnāt want to miss the trip, either!
Jennifer: Guys, do you agree on returning Friday evening?
Thomas: Iām cool with it...
[All of them agree]
[They keep walking. Jennifer is often way ahead of her band. As a result, they stay behind and she has to wait for them. Christine looks back sometimes as if she is being watched]
Scene 4
[They continue for a few hours. They are now in vast forest]
Tracy: Is there more? My legs are dying!
Jennifer: We should reach our destination in about an hour... 2 at most.
Tracy: Ugh! Iāll rest a bit! [She takes off her sandals]
Jennifer: Why are you wearing sandals?
Tracy: So that I can be closer to nature of course! Like Pocahontas!
Jennifer: Mon Dieu... So cringe! Anyway, can we continue?
Patricia: Oh! Iām starving! Iāll faint if I donāt eat!
Christine: True. Shouldnāt we take a break? Weāve been walking for more than 4 hours! And itās not exactly clear to us where we are heading...
Jennifer: Tāas raison... Letās have a break for half an hour. As I told you, after the mountainās foothills, we move downwards. There is a river... We can camp next to it...
Tony: I donāt remember you mentioning anything about a river...
Jennifer: Guys! I SAID: After the damn mountain, there is a fucking river and we are about to pitch our fucking tents there! Am I talking alone?!
Frank: Apparently...
Scene 5
[They stop to take a rest. A mysterious man appears wearing a cap, sunglasses and a sleeveless jean jacket]
Terence: Whoās this guy now?
Stranger: Where are you goinā kiddos? Schoolās on the other side!
Jennifer: We are here for an organized excursion into nature. And for your information, weāve finished school!
Sophie: [In a cheerful nerdy tone] Over a month ago!
[Jennifer gives her a mean look]
Stranger: Are you sure you know where are ya heading, eh? There is an Indian graveyard nearby that belonged to the Blackfeet. Strange stories are heard around this area: Shadows in the trees that follow you and unworldly howls at night... If theyāre not wolves after all... If I were you, I would return to my home and be happy with the course as it went thus far!
Jennifer: Donāt worry sir, weāll avoid it.
Stranger: God bless.
[The stranger leaves]
Tony: He smelled weed...
Jennifer: Yeah, he showed up like un diable en boƮte... What the hay...
Sophie: I have a bad feeling...
Jennifer: But what could go wrong?
Not a play, but a literary work assembled using the structure of a script, we're told. It's a different approach and a somewhat refreshing one. It's been years since I've read a drama, but I still slipped into it quickly and one advantage it does offer is a no-messing, high-speed journey straight into the action.
The story itself has a lot of classic elements of the hiking trip gone wrong - the quiet member with the vague misgivings early on, the forceful leader who loses control, the revelation of a lost map, fierce inter-fighting between the party about the best way to resolve their crises. There is a palpable sense of atmosphere created, even through the combination of almost pure dialogue and the scarcest of 'stage directions', which is laudable.
There are limitations however. Reliance on dialogue to carry the story shows up two flaws. Firstly, the translation. Translated from the original Greek by the author, and I approach this tentatively as my foreign language skills are extremely limited so I'm anxious not to be overly critical, there are some clunky translations that make the dialogue stilted at times. This is something that can be worked at though, and possibly would benefit from collaboration. It doesn't create a barrier from enjoyment, but it does jolt the reader out of the action.
Secondly, and in some ways a bigger obstacle, is the sheer size of the cast. In addition to some minor characters who pop up, there are sixteen members of the main hiking party. This is a lot of personalities to juggle, even in regular prose. With only dialogue and therefore no inner monologue, physical description or potential for delivering backstory, it's incredibly difficult to present sixteen distinct, memorable characters. We're given a list of dramatis personae at the start but frankly, without referring back to it at every page, what we're left with is probably half a dozen distinctive personalities and a random selection of creature-fodder.
The author shouldn't be criticised for ambition and there is an enjoyable story at the heart of The Camping, which due to its length and structure, whizzes past at a frenetic pace and thereby holds the reader's attention. The proposed series of books that will build on this beginning could yield some really fun stories, if the author's potential is realised.