Arlekin zza kordonu: Z recepcji Nikołaja Jewreinowa w Polsce (1921–1932)

For Nikolai Evreinov, a Russian playwright, director, and theatre thinker, author of the theory of the “theatralisation of life”, the Polish theatre culture of the 1920s became a real window to Europe. This article presents selected contexts for the Polish reception of his manifesto play, Самое главное (The Chief Thing), from the first stagings at Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego (Juliusz Słowacki Theatre) in Kraków and Teatr Polski (Polish Theatre) in Warsaw, through the discussions about the theoretical message of the work, to attempts at assimilating the Russian author’s whole output. It discusses the influence of Stanisław Przybyszewski’s work on the theory and practice of Evreinov’s monodrama. It compares Evreinov’s understanding of naturalism and his views on the art of acting and theatre with those of his friend Stanisława Wysocka, the Polish actress. It presents the balance of the Russian director’s guest appearances in Warsaw in 1925: the legal regulations concerning his works and his new contacts with representatives of the art world, but also negative reviews. The appendix features a selection of Evreinov’s correspondence with Polish theatre figures: Zofia Nałkowska, Julian Tuwim, Emil Zegadłowicz, Stanisława Wysocka, and Eugeniusz Świerczewski, from the turn of the 1930s.