FOREFATHERS? EVE IBD

Sinopsis

Forefathers&rsquo, Eveá[Dziady] is a four-part dramatic work begun circa 1820 and completed in 1832 &ndash, with Part I published only after the poet&rsquo,s death, in 1860. The drama',s title refers toáDziady, an ancientáSlavicáandáLithuanianáfeast commemorating the dead.áThis is the grand work of Polish literature, and it is one that elevates Mickiewicz to a position among the &ldquo,great Europeans&rdquo, such as Dante and Goethe.With its Christian background of the Communion of the Saints, revenant spirits, and the interpenetration of the worlds of time and eternity,áForefathers&rsquo, Eveáspeaks to men and women of all times and places. While it is a truly Polish work &ndash, Polish actors covet the role of Gustaw/Konrad in the same way that Anglophone actors covet that of Hamlet &ndash, it is one of the most universal works of literature written during the nineteenth century. It has been compared to Goethe&rsquo,sáFaustá&ndash, and rightfully so.áForefathers&rsquo, Eveáinitiated the great contribution of Poland to world theatre: Monumental Drama, which stretches from him through StanisÅéaw WyspiaÅäski to Tadeusz Kantor in our own day and age.The present translation of Adam Mickiewicz&rsquo,sáForefathers&rsquo, Eveáis the first complete verse translation of the cycle published in English. It has been put to use in its entirety by the Teatr Polski in WrocÅéaw, and partially set to music by Arturas Bum&scaron,teinas in his contemporary orchestral workáDifferent Trainsá(2014).Translated by Charles S. Kraszewski.Charles S. Kraszewski (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).áThis book was published with the support of the Hanna and Zdzislaw Broncel Charitable Trust.This book has been published with the support of the ©POLAND Translation Program.MaximáHodaká- ÐúакÑüимáÐÑодак (Publisher),MaxáMendorá- ÐúакÑüáÐúендоÑÇá(Director),Ksenia Papazova (Managing Editor).