Twelve Years of Dialog

Abstract

Twelve Years of Dialog Edward J. Czerwinski I After twelve years of publication, Dialog,1 the Polish monthly devoted to the dramatic arts, continues to flourish. When in 1963-4 the two weeklies Nowa Kultura (The New Culture) and Przeglad Kulturalny (Cultural Survey) were liquidated, rumors spread that Dialog would soon be suppressed. Fortunately for theater people every­ where the death-knell was premature, and Dialog survived the poli­ tical cataclysm. Dialog has enjoyed uninterrupted publication since May, 1956. The aim of this monthly is to offer the Polish public, writers, and actors a common meeting ground for their interests in the dramatic arts. But since the journal encompasses world theater, with heavy emphasis on contemporary Slavic theater, it has gained recognition from almost all quarters of theatrical life in practically every country in the world. During the International Theater Association convention in Warsaw (summer of 1963), Dialog was acclaimed as one of the most satisfactory periodicals in the dramatic arts published in the world today. Although recognition is not synonymous with quality, it is safe to say that Dialog is one of Poland’s and the Slavic World’s most literate journals. Printed monthly and with a circulation of only 6,500 copies, Dialog nonetheless wields a great deal of influence. It is the main source of information for directors, actors, and students of literature on foreign plays and theaters, and, what is more important, is the only Polish publication that publishes plays in translation. For this reason alone, its contribution to the literary scene, specifically the dramatic arts, is immense. But Dialog has other distinctions: It has carte blanche concerning the foreign plays it chooses to publish, provided that selection does not involve hard currency. How much literature the staff is urged to translate and publish from the other Slavic countries is difficult to gauge; for even the Slavic and East European plays that are published (that is, those emanating from Russia, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria, not to mention Hungary and the other Socialist countries) share an excellence with those translated from the western countries. And the critiques and reviews of plays and movements in foreign countries— both East and West— and on the local Polish scene that 266 Edward J. Czerwinski 267 appear in Dialog are quite objective and literate, ranging from con­ demnation of Tennessee Williams and the commercial theater of the West to a charge of literary sterility and a lack of good plays in Poland and in the other Slavic countries. Such frankness would appear foolhardy in perhaps any country, since people in theater and drama, more so than those engaged in any of the other art forms, are sensitive and quick to retaliate to any slight. Thus, it is not surprising to find that among actors and playwrights, readers and audiences, party-members and party-leaders, Dialog has its share of enemies. How it has managed to withstand the tides of pettiness, personal rancor, and inevitable jealousies con­ comitant with a successful publication, is partly due to its staunch supporters, who see in Dialog signs of greater good, lesser evil. Nor is the influence of Dialog restricted to the local scene. Although few professionals in the theater would concur that Dialog is their official spokesman, they would not deny the fact that the majority of all plays produced in Poland appear first in Dialog. Since the journal publishes only those plays that have not yet been produced in Poland, it is the primary source for new play selections among the hundreds of producers, directors, and literary directors in the country. And since Dialog is permitted to circulate freely among the various countries in the Eastern Bloc, its influence is further augmented. It is not uncommon to find directors, actors, and playwrights from coun­ tries outside of Poland waiting for the latest issue in order to read some of the more recent plays and learn about developments in the Western theater, the knowledge of which would otherwise be less easily accessible. Dialog has managed during its comparatively brief existence (initial publication, May, 1956) to gain a permanent niche in the theatrical world. That it has managed to endure, thrive, and continue to explore and...