Four Plays: Mary Stuart, Kordian, Balladyna, Horsztyński

by Juliusz Słowacki, Charles S. Kraszewski (Translator)

The crypt of Wawel Cathedral in Kraków is the Polish nation’s greatest pantheon. Here lie the earthly remains of its storied kings and queens, and two of its greatest poets, Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki. At the conclusion of his speech at Słowacki’s reburial in 1927, Marshal Józef Piłsudski commanded the guard of “In the name of the Republic, I direct you, gentlemen, to carry this sarcophagus into the royal crypt, for he who rests within was no less a king.” Słowacki, who once described himself and Mickiewicz as “two gods, on their own, opposing, suns” has rested alongside his great rival now for over ninety years. Although generally regarded as an eternal second to the national bard Mickiewicz, Słowacki is a great poet in his own right. Had Mickiewicz, who undoubtedly influenced him, never existed, Juliusz Słowacki would still have become an important European poet — especially as far as drama is concerned. The recognised creator of the modern traditions of Polish playwriting, Słowacki holds a position second to none in the creation of original plays in the style of Shakespeare — that darling of the European Romantics — whom many poets of Europe emulated and imitated, while never reaching the facility with the Shakespearean idiom achieved by Słowacki. What is even more striking is the fact that Słowacki achieved this high level of quality at a very early age. The dramas in Glagoslav’s edition of  Four Plays  include some of the poet’s greatest dramatic works, all written before age   Mary Stuart ,  Balladyna  and  Horsztyński  weave carefully crafted motifs from  King Lear, Macbeth, Hamlet  and  A Midsummer Night’s Dream  in astoundingly original works, and  Kordian  — Słowacki’s riposte to Mickiewicz’s  Forefathers’ Eve , constitutes the final word in the revolutionary period of Polish Romanticism. Translated into English by Charles S. Kraszewski, the  Four Plays  of Juliusz Słowacki will be of interest to aficionados of Polish Romanticism, Shakespeare, and theatre in general. Translated from the Polish and introduced by Charles S. Kraszewski. This book has been published with the support of the ©POLAND Translation Program. Publishers Maxim Hodak & Max Mendor.

Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Juliusz Słowacki ['juljuʂ swɔ'vatski] (4 September 1809 in Kremenets, Volhynia, Russian Empire now in Ukraine – 3 April 1849 in Paris) was a noted Polish Romantic poet, considered to be one of the "Three Bards" of Polish literature. His works often feature elements of Slavic pagan traditions, mysticism, and Orientalism.


Life and work

Influenced largely by Byron and Shakespeare, Słowacki's early work was often historical in nature, combining exotic locales (as in Arab) and tragedy (as in Maria Stuart). His work took on a more nationalist tone following the failed November Insurrection of 1830 - 1831. Like many of his countrymen, he decided to emigrate to France as a political refugee. Ironically, the first collections of poems he produced in France were unpopular in his native Poland, as they failed to capture the sentiment of the people living under Russian occupation. It was the French authorities which deemed them too nationalist; following a trip to Geneva in 1832, he was denied the right to return to France as part of a larger program to rid the country of the potentially subversive Polish exiles who had settled there. A third volume of his works, produced in Geneva, was far more nationalist in tone, and he began to win recognition in his homeland.

In 1836, Słowacki embarked on a journey throughout Italy, Greece, Egypt and Palestine, which he described in his epic poem "Podróż do Ziemi Świętej z Neapolu". In 1844, he wrote Genezis z Ducha, an exposition of his philosophical ideas (called genesic idea) according to which the material world is an expression of an ever-improving spirit capable of progression into constantly newer forms.

It was at this time that he attached himself to a group of likeminded young exiles, determined to return to Poland and win its independence. One of his friends was the pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin. The group travelled to Poznań, then under Prussian control. He participated in the Wielkopolska Uprising of 1848, addressing the National Assembly (Komitet Narodowy w Poznaniu) on 27 April. "I tell you," he declared as the rebels faced military confrontation with the Prussian Army, "that the new age has dawned, the age of holy anarchy." By 9 May, the revolt was crushed.

Arrested by the Prussian police, Słowacki was sent back to Paris. On his way there, he passed through Wrocław, where he was reunited with his mother, whom he had not seen for almost twenty years. He died in Paris the following year, and was buried in the Montmartre. In 1927, some eight years after Poland regained her independence, the Polish government requested that Słowacki's remains be moved to Wawel castle in Krakow. He was reinterred near his old rival, Adam Mickiewicz.

Long after his death, Słowacki acquired the reputation of national prophet. His poem "Papież Słowiański" (The Slavic Pope), published in 1848, was believed to foretell the ascension, in 1978, of Karol Wojtyła to the throne of St. Peter as Pope John Paul II. In 2009 Faye Dunaway starred in film "The Bait" by Polish film director and producer Dariusz Zawislak. "The Bait" is a contemporary version of the drama, "Balladyna."

Reviews

[Marysia kochasheya1234]

co ty brales kurwa pisząc to. obys siedzial w piekle