Beyond Drama: Writing for Postdramatic Theatre

The article begins with a short description of the current situation in Polish theatre where the traditional understanding of a dramatic text has made the reception of formally innovative European playwriting difficult. On the basis of recent German plays by Rainald Goetz, Dea Loher and Roland Schimmelpfennig, which have been translated into Polish and published but have not yet received significant productions, the article tries to answer two important questions. Firstly, how the postdramatic texts written for avant-garde, feminist and postcolonial theatre during last three decades have influenced plays written for and put on the mainstream stages in the 1990s. Secondly, in what ways the new texts, which in many respects go far beyond the borders of traditional drama, have changed the existing definitions of theatrical mimesis and theories of drama

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THE POETIC NEW SPEECH IN THE WORKS OF DESANKA MAKSIMOVICH AND ELISAVETA BAGRYANA (1920S AND 1930S)

Ezikov Svyat (Orbis Linguarum) ◽

10.37708/ezs.swu.bg.v19i2.7 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 55-63

Author(s):

Tsvetan RAKYOVSKI

Keyword(s):

Common Trends ◽

Classical Form ◽

Avant Garde ◽

Lyrical Poetry ◽

Traditional Understanding

The article examines the work of the Serbian poet Desanka Maksimovich and the Bulgarian poet Elisaveta Bagryana, written between the two world wars. The two poetesses were formed under similar conditions and close cultural situations. This implies common trends and artistic horizons. Desanka Maksimovich and Elisaveta Bagryana are also the first serious representatives of the "female" writing in poetry. The specific modernism of the two authors is analyzed against the background of the poetic avant-garde at the time. The modern writing of Desanka Maksimovich and Elisaveta Bagryan demonstrates a violation of the classical form of the verse (number of syllables, verse length, correct rhyme), use of excessively long verses, long words and overcoming of the traditional understanding of verse harmony (rhythm). This makes the two poets unexpectedly different and fresh voices against the background of the male lyrical poetry of the same time. The poetic books of Desanka Maksimovich and Elisaveta Bagryana became literary phenomena in the time between the two world wars. However, they also became an example to several generations of poetesses, which were born of their energy. The Serbian and Bulgarian lyre make an important contribution to the development of female poetry in the region of the Balkan cultures and their poetic images.

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Notes about Czerniawski

Tematy i Konteksty ◽

10.15584/tik.spec.eng.2020.30 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol nr specjalny 1(2020) ◽

pp. 542-554

Author(s):

Marian Kisiel ◽

Keyword(s):

Literary Criticism ◽

20Th Century ◽

Common Sense ◽

Avant Garde ◽

Surrounding World ◽

The Common ◽

Traditional Understanding ◽

The Grotesque

The article constitutes a collection of notes related to the lesser known and rarely commented works by an émigré writer – Adam Czerniawski: his poems translated into English, short texts of literary criticism, short novels and his memoirs. Modern Polish prose is still frequently treated as a ciphertext, of interest only to a limited number of readers who revel in this labyrinth of thoughts. It may seem that at the end of the 20th century – a period so involved in the debate about the traditional understanding of literature – avant-garde variants of prose should be understandable for everyone or, at least, that literary criticism would assign them to the appropriate level in the hierarchy of modern forms. However, the situation turned out to be different. The prose model imposed by Positivism still remains predominant in the habits and tastes of both literary critics and readers, and only recently has this model been questioned. As a result, the short novels by Czerniawski have not yet been sufficiently analysed. Reminiscent of Gombrowicz, these texts can be seen as absolute stories. The feature of absoluteness is visible at all their levels: origin, narration, reading. Everything is possible, yet nothing is accidental or random. However, limiting these narratives to only avant-garde rules would, without a doubt, distort their sense. Czerniawski’s prose also uses the infinite potential of the grotesque, plays with its own language, thus making it into an undoubtedly philosophical Ding an sich. The prose was also written in order to face traditional sanctities such as, for instance, the incorrigible “Polishness” that glorifies old symbols and sees a divine influence in them. Finally, Czerniawski’s prose is based on the “common sense” that can be found in numerous amusing contexts of the surrounding world.

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