Encounters with Tadeusz Kantor

Description

An invaluable collection of documents and discussions of the work of one of the most significant theatre practitioners of the last fifty years. This unique set of reminiscences, written by one of the actors who worked closely with Kantor over a long period of time, ranges from the anecdotal to the theoretical. Kantor's work offers some of the most disconcerting allegories of Modernism and a quintessential expression of the unconscious during a bitter period of human history. Kantor's stern but affectionate guardianship of his troupe of travelling players comes off Miklaszewski's pages with warmth, humanity and humour.

Krzysztof Miklaszewski is a major figure in the world of contemporary Polish cultural life and for thirteen years was an actor in Kantor's theatre between 1973 and 1986. As a presenter of arts programmes for Polish television he has directed numerous, significant, documentary films of theatrical and artistic activities. He is currently Artistic Director of the Theatre Rampa in Warsaw. The translator and editor, George Hyde lived and taught in Poland during and after the communist period. A Senior Research Fellow of the University of East Anglia, he is the author of numerous essays on Polish life and letters, and of several books and essays on Modernist writing. He translates from Polish and Russian, and is currently Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Kyoto Women's University, Japan.

'We should be grateful for this text ... [it] takes us to the heart of Kantor's creative choices and processes and serves well the reader who has perhaps tried to penetrate Kantor's rather esoteric manifestos cold - and given up. It also helps to have such a guide if this is your first meeting with Kantor. Through his various strategies and choice of document, Miklaszewski paints a dynamic picture of this thoughtful genius and egoist.' - Contemporary Theatre Review