Absurdski Village, Bulgaria

The plays of Yordan Radichkov and their relation to the Theatre of the Absurd

Abstract

The article is an introduction to the playwriting style of Yordan Radichkov (1929 – 2004), who is considered as one of the most prominent Bulgarian writers from the second half of the 20^th century. His works gained him a special place in national culture since he was a very prolific and versatile artist. Apart from the importance and influence on a national level, his plays have been translated and staged across Europe, America, and Asia. On focus are the first plays of Radichkov: Commotion (Sumatokha, 1967), January (Yanuari, 1974), and Lazarus (Lazaritsa, 1979). Theatre of the Absurd has been coined by ‘urban’ writers. Radichkov proved that the Absurd might crust upon rural characters that are far away from the metropolitan vibe. Main accent of the article is examining some similarities with works of Samuel Beckett’s. Some intellectuals defined Radichkov’s style as a “Balkan magic realism”. Yet, another accent is his allegoric, and thus, subtle parody of the communist regime. The article demonstrates that, without even having direct access to the theatre of the Absurd, Yordan Radichkov forged his unique style in accordance with one of the trendiest movements in Western Europe.