Mickiewicz's Dziady as directed by Kazimierz Deimka

The Polish Cultural Center and the School of Contemporary Specators and Listeners present:

Katarzyna Osinska is a PhD, and a professor at the Institute of Slavistics of the Polish Academy of Science (Warsaw)

Mickiewicz's Dziady as directed by Kazimierz Deimka and its role in the political events of March 1968 in Poland

Adam Mickiewicz's Dziady is a romantic drama that combines mystery and messianis. The third part of the work, written after the Polish uprising of 1830-1831, also contains a concrete, historical and political plan concerning Polish-Russian relations. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the play was not staged in the Russian Empire due to a censor's ban. In the 20 century, it became one of the key texts for Polish theatre culture. It also played a decisive role in the events of March 1968, which had fatal consequences for the nation's political situation and for the perception of Poland on the international scene.

This lecture is devoted to the problems of interpreting this third part, as well as to the question: Why was Kazimierz Deimka's Dziady, staged in November 1967 in honor of the anniversary of the October Revolution, perceived hostilely by the Central Committee of the Communist Party (headed by Vladislav Gomulka) as an anti-Soviet performance, and subsequently banned? What social reactions caused this ban, and what were the consequences for recent history in Poland? The lecture offers photographic materials and new documents published this year on the occasion of the anniversary of this event.

Admission free with advance registration on TimePad.ru