Sławomir Mrożek with Tamara Trojanowska - Encounters with Polish Literature – S4E6

Sławomir Mrożek (1930-2013) was a satirist best remembered for his absurdist plays, humorous stories, fables, cartoons and drawings. Like many writers of his generation, he was caught up in the optimistic progress toward Communism after World War II, but was soon disillusioned and became a key dissenting voice after the death of Stalin in 1953, especially during the 1960s and ‘70s in the years leading up to the Solidarity uprising.

In this episode, we focus on two of his major plays, "Tango" (1964) and "Emigrants" (1974) in light of his biography, his provincial origins and life abroad, and his historical context from the Thaw to the end of Communism in Poland, and what meaning these works may have in the post-Communist era. This episode and the next one on Tadeusz Konwicki consider the coded language and use of allegory in this period while censorship was still in effect, but there was a thriving underground and émigré publishing industry known as the “second circuit” (drugi obieg), and writers had a great deal to say that could not legally appear in the official press.

Learn more about this episode, and see the biography of the guest on the Polish Cultural Institute New York's website: https://bit.ly/3Rl6FoU

Access the playlist of the entire series:
https://bit.ly/47Q7xHL

Bartek Remisko, Executive Producer
David A. Goldfarb, Host & Producer
Natalia Iyudin, Producer