Polish Intellectual Dissent in the Drama of 1956–70

Abstract

The intellectual revolt brought about by ‘the Thaw’ of 1955–6 slowly worked its way into drama which, at least initially, lagged behind dissident journalism and fiction. The pressure of Socialist Realism in the preceding period seemed to affect it more than any other literary genre. It had sterilised the stage not only of more ambitious contemporary plays but also of that large part of the classical repertoire which was either at odds with the Marxist theory of representation or could stimulate warm patriotic and often anti-Russian feelings. Therefore Mickiewicz’s Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve), Słowacki’s Kordian, Krasiński’s Nie-Boska Komedia (The Undivine Comedy), the dramatic output of Wyspiański and many other outstanding plays were not staged in those days, despite the fact that some of them were published and even included in the school syllabus. No wonder that together with ‘the Thaw’ came the revival of Polish Romantic theatre and its modernised continuation in the works of Wyspiański. This contributed much to the development of contemporary drama, which either carried on or defied that national tradition.