Reymont and magic of theatre

Abstract

This article examines various aspects of Władysław Reymont’s references to the world of theatre. His personal experience of the stage that was extracted, based in part on diary notes, grew out of his youthful fascination as an “amateur of theatrical impressions”, getting to know the art of theatre in a variety of dramatic and theatrical conventions and repertoire performed by professional and amateur stage artists, from renowned centres and from the provinces, from the perspective of the spectator and from behind the scenes of the actor’s profession. The theatrical Reymont can be discussed from the myth-making perspective, which we will demonstrate by recalling the memories of contemporaries that commemorate the legend, as well as through the creative strategies of the author known for his penchant for theatricalising his own experiences, in the description of reality referring to the relationship between the stage and the audience. Finally, we look at Reymont’s contacts in the environment of theatre artists, and in particular his attitude to the work of Stanisław Wyspiański.