Pamiętnik Teatralny (Aug 2020)
«Samarski smutek» Osterwy
Abstract
The article offers an interpretation of the significance of Juliusz Osterwa’s stay in Samara (July 1915 to February 1916) for his artistic development. This interpretation is based on a reading of personal papers: the Samara Notebook, a letter to Kornel Makuszyński, dated 1915, and Osterwa’s memoirs from the 1930s. The picture of the artist’s time in Samara emerging from these sources is complemented by the findings of Russian historians, reconstructing the fate of Polish refugees during the First World War. The juxtaposition of the image of Samara found in historical works with the image sketched in Osterwa’s notes reveals a mechanism of concealing painful experiences with mental constructs in the artist’s auto-narratives. The article puts forth the hypothesis that Osterwa’s stay in Samara engendered a serious existential crisis, which was overcome in December 1915 thanks to a nativity play produced together with Wincenty Drabik. The Samara sadness allowed Osterwa to distance himself from his star status. The clash with foreignness sharpened his cultural awareness and gave him a new perspective. The Christmas performance enhanced his understanding of the social function of the theatre as a place of overcoming an identity crisis.
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