About the work
Two books by French author Édouard Louis about the emancipation of his mother Monique form the source material: "A Woman's Battles and Transformations" (French «Combats et métamorphoses d'une femme», 2021; German "Die Freiheit einer Frau") tells how she breaks free from her first violent partner, and "Monique Escapes" («Monique s'évade», 2024; German "Monique bricht aus") recounts a later escape from another abusive relationship. Jan Friedrich adapted both for the stage at Nationaltheater Mannheim, with five male actors alternately playing the mother; the production premiered on 21 February 2026.
Plot
The son looks back on his mother's life, spent for decades in poverty and domestic violence in a post-industrial town in northern France. With his support she finds the strength to leave her partners and break free from invisibility and dependence.
Cultural significance
The source books continue the autobiographical project through which Édouard Louis has examined poverty, masculinity and class origin since "The End of Eddy"; for the first time, the mother rather than the son stands at the centre of the narrative.