ABSTRACT
Truths "immemorially posited" are illusive. They only bring forth division, often followed by destruction, of which the Northern Irish conflict is but one example. Truth, language and communication are inseparably linked with each other. Translations presents the different modes of human language. It shows that language establishes, but also prevents and even destroys communication, that truth may be revealed or veiled through language. Friel raises the question of whether or not true and lasting communication among human beings is possible. Similar to O'Casey's Juno, the wise teacher Hugh O'Donnell knows the way to communication and peace from personal experience: its essentials are self-examination and self-irony, the constant renewal of one's images, the readiness to suffer confusion rather than seeking refuge in illusions. Friel's ideas show a relationship to Nietzsche's philosophy, his call for "the revaluation of all values" and his notion of an "inventive chaos".
