Abstract
The essay strives to return Karl Kraus (1874- 1936) back to theatre; to present him as a unique performer and pioneer of the one-man show theatre (so called Theatre of Poetry). Above all, the paper reflects Kraus' critical approach to language in the context of Ludwig Wittgenstein and - surprisingly - Martin Heidegger's philosophical concepts; it also discusses contemporary parallels with Kraus' brilliant and visionary critique of media - represented in his time predominantly by press, photography, and emerging film industry - which function in the regime of phrases.
For Kraus, media played a the most crucial role in triggering World Wars. The essay considers Kraus and his radical critique of media images a forerunner of many future theoretical concepts elaborated by Marshall McLuhan, Umberto Eco, or Vilém Flusser.