Experimental theater refers to dramatic works, usually written for the stage, that question and expand the definition of the play as a literary form. India Song is a work of experimental theatre in which Duras experiments with generally accepted categories of genre, traditional expectations of action and dialogue, and an unusual use of disembodied voices to narrate her play.

India Song was originally published in book form in 1973. Though it bore the English-language title India Song, it was written by Duras in French. In the original French text, India Song is subtitled "theatre/film/texte," which indicates that the story may be interpreted as simultaneously a stage play, screenplay, and work of prose fiction. Duras thus questions and expands upon generally accepted definitions of, and distinctions between, plays, screenplays, and novels.

One of the most striking experimental elements of India Song is the fact that none of...