Quo vadis na scenie i… w cenzurze. Historia jednego zdania

Abstract

The article analyses one case of censorial interference: from the moment the play was permitted to be staged, through to the censor’s renewed interest in its script, to the finale – his ultimate decisions in the case.The material relating to the history of the play based on Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel Quo Vadis was sourced during a preliminary inquiry at the Russian State Historical Archive in St Petersburg. It illustrates which issues, expressed in the text of the play, the censorial office paid particular attention to. It also demonstrates what necessary amendments the theatre had to implement, in order for the play to continue being staged.

Keywords

• Sienkiewicz
• Quo Vadis
• tsarist censorship
• theatrical play