Kovács Ferenc: Olvasópróba előtt (Skenotheke 1. Budapest, 1996)

Felhasznált irodalom

BEFORE THE REHEARSAL "There are national literatures which may for centuries lag behind the mainstream of world literature. They are always late, they have to continually fill in gaps until a historic moment presents itself when all of a sudden a bright star emerges from the unknown. Such a star was Ibsen in Norwegian literature. Norway seceded from Denmark in the middle of the nineteenth century; she was a backward country situated on the far edge of European civilization. There was no public for literature nor for the theatre; writers and playwrights struggled to make ends meet. Ibsen complains about 'pocket-sized' souls as well as the fact that what Norwegian citizens need are religious communities rather than art. Nevertheless, as soon as the Norwegian people attain independence and acquire a new understanding of themselves, there begins a ferment of nationalistromanticist impulses in literature and the arts in general. When this age of romanticism finally reached Norway, Europe had already embraced the classical realism of the nineteenth century. It was in this 'underdeveloped' setting that Ibsen made his debut. After having duly passed through the stations along this 'underdeveloped' road, writing his own nationalistic-romantic plays, he set out to see the world and, having savoured contemporary Europe, presto, he emerged as the founding father of the modern play. His influence is clearly discernible in the work of a number of playwrights. Ibsen is one of the greatest artists and innovators in the history of the theatre; without him the modern play as it exists today would be hardly conceivable. This fact should be stressed, especially since many consider him obsolete, even though time hasn't rendered his works any more out of date than those of other classics. One merely has to peel off - respectfully but with a firm hand - the layers which the theatre of a future generation deems necessary to remove from its heritage. Only mediocre works obstinately stick to their unabridged, one-time mediocrity." (Gábor Görgey, Népszabadság, Sept.28, 1965.) Vocation is the leitmotif of Ibsen's late plays, as is shown by The Master Builder as well as by When We Dead Awaken. John Gabriel Borkman was written between these two in 1896. The play was received with mixed reactions; many questioned its basic values. Ever since, it has 39