"Theatre of the Absurd" is a phrase used in reference to particular plays written by a number of European and American playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work. The term was coined by the critic Martin Esslin , who made it the title of a 1962 book on the subject. Esslin saw the work of these playwrights as giving artistic articulation to Albert Camus' philosophical concept of life as inherently absurd.

The Theatre of the Absurd is typified by apparently meaningless plots, repetitive dialogue and dramatic non sequiturs, which together often create a dream-like mood.

Absurdism shows a departure from realistic characters and situations. Time or places in which the action occurs are uncertain. Characters are often nameless and seem transposable. Events are completely outside the realm of cogent motivation and may have a nightmarish quality. This is a post-WW2 modernist discourse about the seeming isolation of individuals within an increasingly technological society.

Among the major playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd are Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Arthur Adamov, Edward Albee and Harold Pinter.

Some of the films of Luis Buñuel may arguably be called absurdist.

Absurdism does not only pertain to the 'theater' but is also a part of classic literature as well. Some writers include Daniil Kharms, Alfred Jarry, Bruno Schulz, Franz Kafka and Nikolai Gogol.

Further reading

• Martin Esslin, The Theatre of the Absurd (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1962)