Sławomir Mrożek

Sławomir Mrożek
Warsaw, 20 May 2006
Born	29 June 1930(1930-06-29) Borzęcin, Poland
Occupation	Dramatist, Writer
Nationality	Poland

Sławomir Mrożek (born 29 June 1930) is a Polish dramatist and writer. In 1963 Mrożek emigrated to France and then further to Mexico. In 1996 he returned to Poland and settled in Kraków. In 2008 he moved back to France.^[1]

Mrożek joined the Polish United Workers' Party during the reign of Stalinism in the People's Republic of Poland, and made a living as a political journalist. He began writing plays in the late 1950s. His first play, Policja (The Police), was published in 1958. Tango (1964) was Mrożek's first full-length play, written about totalitarianism. Tango made Mrożek one of the most recognizable Polish contemporary writers in the world wrote Krystyna Dąbrowska.^[1] It became also his most successful play, according to Britannica, produced in many Western countries.^[2] In 1975 his second popular play Emigranci (The Émigrés),^[3] a bitter and ironic portrait of two Polish emigrants in Paris, was produced by director Andrzej Wajda in the Teatr Stary in Kraków.^[4] Mrożek traveled to France, England, Italy, Yugoslavia and other European countries.^[5] His plays belong to the genre of Theatre of the Absurd, intended to shock the audience with non-realistic elements, political and historic references, distortion, and parody.^[2]

Controversy

Daniel Mróz illustration for Mrożek's 1957 book Słoń (The Elephant)

In 1953, during the regime of Stalinism in postwar Poland, Mrożek was one of several signatories of an open letter from ZLP to Polish authorities supporting persecution of Polish religious leaders imprisoned by the Ministry of Public Security. He participated in the defamation of Catholic priests from Kraków, three of whom were condemned to death by the communist government in February 1953 after being groundlessly accused of treason. The death sentences were not enforced although Father Józef Fudali died in unexplained circumstances while in prison.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]} Mrożek wrote a full-page article in support of the verdict, entitled "Zbrodnia główna i inne" (The Major and other Crimes), comparing death-row priests to degenerate SS-men and Ku-Klux-Klan.^[12]

Works

List of plays by Sławomir Mrożek, based on Małgorzata Sugiera's "Dramaturgia Sławomira Mrożka."^{[citation needed]} (The Dramatic Works of Slawomir Mrozek).

• Professor / The professor (source: Jerzy Afanasjew, "Sezon kolorowych chmur. Z zycia Gdańskich teatrzyków 1954-1964" / "The Season of Colorful Clouds - From the Annals of Gdansk's Little Theatres 1954-1964", Gdynia 1968)
• Policja / The Police, "Dialog" 1958, nr 6
• Męczeństwo Piotra Ohey'a / The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey, "Dialog" 1959, nr 6
• Indyk / The Turkey, "Dialog" 1960, nr 10
• Na pełnym morzu / At Sea, "Dialog" 1961, nr 2
• Karol / Charlie, "Dialog" 1961, nr 3
• Strip-tease, "Dialog" 1961, nr 6
• Zabawa / The Party, "Dialog" 1962, nr 10
• Kynolog w rozterce / Dilemmas of a dog breeder, "Dialog" 1962, nr 11
• Czarowna noc / The magical night, "Dialog" 1963, nr 2
• Śmierć porucznika / The death of the lieutenant, "Dialog" 1963, nr 5
• Der Hirsch, trans. Ludwik Zimmerer (in:) STÜCKE I, Berlin (West), 1965 (no Polish version)
• Tango, "Dialog" 1964, nr 11
• Racket baby, trans. Ludwik Zimmerer (in:) STÜCKE I, Berlin (West), 1965 (no Polish version)
• Poczwórka / The quarter, "Dialog" 1967, nr 1
• Dom na granicy / The house on the border, "Dialog" 1967, nr 1
• Testarium, "Dialog" 1967, nr 11
• Drugie danie / The main course, "Dialog" 1968, nr 5
• Szczęśliwe wydarzenie / The fortunate event, "Kultura" 1971, nr 5
• Rzeźnia / The slaughterhouse, "Kultura" 1971, nr 5
• Emigranci / The Émigrés, "Dialog" 1974, nr 8
• Garbus / The Hunchback, "Dialog" 1975, nr 9
• Serenada / The Serenade, "Dialog" 1977, nr 2
• Lis filozof / The philosopher fox, "Dialog" 1977, nr 3
• Polowanie na lisa / Fox hunting, "Dialog" 1977, nr 5
• Krawiec / The Tailor (written in 1964) "Dialog" 1977, nr 11
• Lis aspirant / The trainee fox, "Dialog" 1978, nr 7
• Pieszo / On foot, "Dialog" 1980, nr 8
• Vatzlav (written in 1968), published by the Instytut Literacki / *Literary Institute in Paris
• Ambassador / The ambassador, Paryz 1982
• Letni dzień / A summer day, "Dialog" 1983, nr 6
• Alfa / Alpha, Paryz, 1984
• Kontrakt / The contract, "Dialog" 1986, nr 1
• Portret / The portrait, "Dialog" 1987, nr 9
• Wdowy / Widows (written in 1992)
• Milość na Krymie / Love in the Crimea, "Dialog" 1993, nr 12
• Wielebni / The reverends, "Dialog" 2000, nr 11
• Piękny widok / A beautiful sight, "Dialog" 2000, nr 5

English translations

• "Tango". New York: Grove Press, 1968.
• "The Ugrupu Bird" (Wesele w Atomicach). London: Macdonald & Co., 1968.
• "Striptease", "Repeat Performance", and "The Prophets". New York: Grove Press, 1972.
• "Vatzlav". London: Cape, 1972.
• "The Elephant" (Słoń). Westport: Greenwood Press, 1972.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Krystyna Dąbrowska, Sławomir Mrożek. Culture.pl, September 2009.
2. ^ ^{a b} Sławomir Mrożek, from theEncyclopædia Britannica
3. ^ August Grodzicki, "Bardzo polska tragikomedia." Życie Warszawy nr 5; 07-01-1976
4. ^ http://www.polinst.hu/en/node/4523
5. ^ Sławomir Mrożek at www.kirjasto.sci.fi
6. ^ Ks. Józef Fudali (1915–1955), kapłan Archidiecezji Krakowskiej. Institute of National Remembrance. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
7. ^ David Dastych, "Devil's Choice. High-ranking Communist Agents in the Polish Catholic Church." Canada Free Press (CFP), January 10, 2007.
8. ^ Wojciech Czuchnowski Blizna. Proces kurii krakowskiej 1953, Kraków 2003.
9. ^ Dr Stanisław Krajski, "Zabić księży." Katolicka Gazeta Internetowa, 2001-12-01.
10. ^ Damian Nogajski, WINY MAŁE I DUŻE – CZYLI KTO JEST PASZKWILANTEM. Polskiejutro.com, No. 227; 11 September 2006.
11. ^ Katarzyna Kubisiowska (interview with Sławomir Mrożek), "Wiem, jak się umiera," Rzeczpospolita, archiwum.
12. ^ Proces Kurii Krakowskiej. Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). Retrieved November 1, 2011.

Further reading

• Alek Pohl (1972) Zurück zur Form. Strukturanalysen zu Slawomir Mrozek. Berlin: Henssel ISBN 3-87329-064-2
• Halina Stephan (1997) Transcending the Absurd: drama and prose of Slawomir Mrozek. (Studies in Slavic Literature and Poetics; 28). Amsterdam: Rodopi ISBN 90-420-0113-5

External links

• Mrozek profile
• Interview with Mrozek
• Extensive Mrozek bibliography

Persondata
Name	Mrozek, Slawomir
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	29 June 1930
Place of birth	Borzecin, Poland
Date of death
Place of death