The Reception of the Play “Our Class: History In XIV Lessons” by Tadeusz Slobodzianek in the Post-Soviet Space

Abstract

The paper examines the problem of reception of Tadeusz Slobodzianek’s play “Our Class: History in XIV Lessons” in selected countries of the post-Soviet space. The choice of territory is dictated by the apparent cultural proximity of the studied areas, experiencing a similar historical burden. The author analyses professional and amateur reviews of the play as a written and performing act. The selection of texts is chosen to reflect the multifaceted nature of the audience’s opinions. The alleged reasons for the discrepancies in the play’s reception are discussed, including both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Particular attention is paid to literary, social, and political contexts. The analysis notes the polarisation of reception in Poland, the unification of the play’s complex semantic layer in Russia and the actualisation of the play’s issues in Ukraine. Overall remarks are also provided on the role of translation in determining the individual and global reception of a literary work.

Keywords

• literary translation
• interculturalism
• contemporary drama
• tadeusz slobodzianek
• reception