The Image of a Social System in Slovenian Dramatic Literature 1943–1990

Abstract

Although it is a matter of general consensus that the communist regime found its reflection in Slovenian dramatic literature after the Second World War, no historical surveys have tried to prove this and to show its forms in such different literary types as realistic drama, poetic drama, and the theatre of the absurd. In this article I try to fill this gap. – The analysis demonstrates the existence of images of the social system in all important dramatic texts written from 1943 up to 1990. It further shows two opposite positions on the question of the communist social order. Social realism, which existed from the thirties and strongly influenced partisan plays as well as dramatic texts of the first post-war decade, built and supported a communist social utopia. In the mid-fifties a critical position was formed in Slovenian plays and this strongly dominated from 1960 onwards. It was a consequence of the historical development of Yugoslav society – firstly in the dispute with the ComInform in 1948 that led to the break with the U.S.S.R., and some highly traumatic purges within the communist party, and secondly, the fact that the difference between utopian projections and reality became more and more evident. I find reasons for the latter in paradoxes of modern sovereignty, described by Etienne de La Boetie, Michel Foucault, and Giorgio Agamben. – Since dramatic texts in the 50s and 60s were written by authors born before WW II who were strongly influenced by the experience of war and therefore had an unshakable confidence in the revolution, they mainly tried to return to the roots of the socialist revolution in order to change the course of future development. After the suppression of the first liberalization at the end of the 60’s, a new generation of dramatists came to dominate the scene, which was now suffering profound and bitter disillusionment, and therefore could bring forward the theatre of the absurd. This was substituted by socio-critical drama at the beginning of the 80’s, following the death of Tito, which revealed the first signs of decay in Yugoslavia. – It is interesting that the dramatic literature shows a constant tendency towards direct criticism, which means that it was moving toward the present time and space, but such criticism was, however, constantly obstructed and even banned by the authorities – Topla greda (Hotbed) was banned in 1964, Kongres (The Congress) and Karamazovi (The Karamazovs) had problems in Novi Sad (1968) and Belgrade (1980). The artists’ response was a retreat into forms of indirect criticism (poetic drama and the theatre of the absurd), in which they expressed even more heretical views. The question of why the authorities allowed this, although this criticism was clearly recognized by the public, is beyond the scope of this article, but it definitely represents a starting point for another survey, which should be undertaken if we are to describe the role of dramatic texts and theatre in Slovenia under the communist regime.