Tymon Terlecki’s London Papers

Diana Poskuta-Włodek

Abstract

The author reviews the volume Teatry londyńskie [London Theaters], a collection of Tymon Terlecki’s writings on theater, edited by Edward Krasiński and Mariola Szydłowska (Warsaw 2016). Erudite and grounded in London’s topography, Terlecki’s reviews were originally published in the émigré Polish weekly Wiadomości in 1945–1964. Their grand meta-themes lie in Terlecki’s awareness of tradition and a search for the roots of European culture and identity. In his diverse essays, Terlecki describes London theaters (from peripheral ones to The Old Vic), reflects on classical and contemporary drama, analyses the work of directors (including the young Peter Brook) in the context of the ideas of Edward Gordon Craig and pre-war Polish theater (in particular the achievements of Leon Schiller), and presents leading London actors. His discussions are set against the backdrop of Polish theater. The whole volume is a masterpiece of comparative analysis, revealing interconnections and influences. Terlecki’s writings about London theaters published in the Polish émigré press played an important part in the integration of the Polish diaspora, alleviating the feeling of isolation and helping to understand British culture. (Transl. Z. Ziemann)