Abstract |
The Democratic Review Magazine was the "ideological instrument"
of the Radical Democratic Party. But soon after its first
publication (1902) it stopped adhering so closely to the party line
and went on to become "the mirror of all our literary and political
life". The publications concerning the impending revamp of
Bulgarian theatre during the first decades of the twentieth century
are a typical example. Their authors, having obtained their degrees
abroad, were writers who were making their first steps or who had
already established themselves in the profession. (Yavorov,
Strashimirov, P. Y. Todorov, I. Andreychin), public figures,
publicists and translators (Str. Krinchev, P. Rosen, B. Angelov).
Their main objective was to acquaint our unsuspecting audience with
some of the eminent European dramatists for "the works of Chechov
and Haupman can impart lots of knowledge to both the audience and
the actors." In their attempt to be objective, critics criticized
some authors. Vazov, for example, was accused of being an
old-fashioned conservative. At the same time critics rebuked some
dramatists who followed blindly fashionable foreign influences (A.
Strashimirov). They applauded Pencho Slaveykov's efforts to revamp
our theatre, which led to the emergence of the so far lacking real
production theatrical stage. Unfortunately another two decades had
to pass before people started talking again about the palpable
presence of a producer. The skill of N. O. Masalitinov allowed the
older generation of actors (S. Ognyanov, Zl. Nedeva, Kr. Sarafov)
to develop their talent But could they have achieved so much on
stage if they hadn't listened to the critics of their youth?! - In
this respect we must not forget the services rendered by the
contributors to the Democratic Review Magazine, who encouraged
everything that was new and constructive. Thanks to them at the end
of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s our National Theatre
developed in parallel with European theatre. Key words: innovation-
tradition, dramaturgy- critic- stage Trend: Art and Culture,
section- "the Road to Europe".
|