ACROPOLIS IBD

Sinopsis

Although he never left his native Kraków except for relatively short periods, StanisÅéaw WyspiaÅäski (1869-1907) achieved worldwide fame, both as a painter, and Poland&rsquo,s greatest dramatist of the first half of the twentieth century.áAcropolis: the Wawel Plays,ábrings together four of WyspiaÅäski&rsquo,s most important dramatic works in a new English translation by Charles S. Kraszewski. All of the plays centre on Wawel Hill: the legendary seat of royal and ecclesiastical power in the poet&rsquo,s native city, the ancient capital of Poland. In these plays, WyspiaÅäski explores the foundational myths of his nation: that of the self-sacrificial Wanda, and the struggle between King BolesÅéaw the Bold and Bishop StanisÅéaw Szczepanowski. In the eponymous play which brings the cycle to an end, WyspiaÅäski carefully considers the value of myth to a nation without political autonomy, soaring in thought into an apocalyptic vision of the future. Richly illustrated with the poet&rsquo,s artwork,áAcropolis: the Wawel Playsáalso contains WyspiaÅäski&rsquo,s architectural proposal for the renovation of Wawel Hill, and a detailed critical introduction by the translator. In its plaited presentation ofáBolesÅéaw the BoldáandáSkaÅéka, the translation offers, for the first time, the two plays in the unified, composite format that the poet intended, but was prevented from carrying out by his untimely death.Charles S. Kraszewskiá(b. 1962)áis a poet, translator and literary critic.á He has published three volumes of original verse:áBeastá(Alexandria, 2013),áDiet of Nailsá(Boston, 2013) andáChanameedá(Atlanta, 2015). Among his critical works isáIrresolute Heresiarch: Catholicism, Gnosticism and Paganism in the Poetry of CzesÅéaw MiÅéoszá(Newcastle-on-Tyne, 2012), many of his verse translations are collected in the volumeáRossetti&rsquo,s Armadilloá(Newcastle-on-Tyne, 2014). His English translation ofáForefathers', Eveáby Adam Mickiewicz was published by Glagoslav in 2016.This book has been published with the support of the ©POLAND Translation Program.