Censorial vicissitudes of Witkacy’s dramas

Abstract

The first edition of Witkacy’s dramas – the one published in 1962 by PIW, with the introduction by Konstanty Puzyna, consisting of twenty-two unpublished works – proved to be one of the most important events in the Polish post-war literary and theatrical life. In 1957, it was possible to think that Witkacy would remain a peculiar and colourful yet marginal phenomenon in the Polish culture. However, in the next few years a sudden change in the perception of his works took place. In 1957 – as a result of the post-October liberalization – Nienasycenie was published and two years later Nowe formy w malarstwie i inne pisma estetyczne became known to the public. However, as it is emphasized by Degler and Błoński, it is the publication of Dramaty with the preface by Puzyna that proved to be crucial for the writer’s critical reception as the edition influenced the ways of his works’ interpretation. Censorial materials pertaining to Dramaty can be found in the collection of GUKPPiW stored in Archiwum Akt Nowych. The reviews of two volumes present a conclusion that the edition is allowed to be published after the implementation of changes in Puzyna’s preface. The documents were endorsed by the director of the office – Wilhelm Strasser. The materials are enriched with the correspondence of PIW and GUKPPiW: documents with requests for permission to publication, for sending copies to the publishing house etc.