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[TATAR BOLSHEVIKS PUBLISHING PROLETARIAN THEATER] Tvorcheskii teatr. Puti sotsialisticheskogo teatra [i.e. Artistic Theater. Paths of Socialist Theater]

Kerzhentsev, P.

Kazan: Elektro-tipografiia ‘Milliat’, 1921. Item #1793

86 pp. 23x17 cm. No covers. Spine repaired with paper strip, fragments of t.p. lost (no text affected), small stains, soiling occasionally, otherwise good internally.

In Tatar language using Arabic script. The title page is in Tatar and Russian. One of 5000 copies.
The work ‘Artistic Theater. Paths of Socialist Theate’ was written by Platon Kerzhentsev (1881-1940), one of Proletkult’s leading theoreticians and the founder of the mass social organization “The League of Time” (later The League of Scientific Organization of Labour).
‘Artistic Theater’ was first published in Petrograd in 1918. Since then, the book has been reprinted several times in Russian and other languages. Being a historical review, the original work contained significantly less information than each next edition. Most likely, this Tatar adaptation was based on the third (1919) or the fourth (1920) Russian editions.
The book also may be considered a manifesto for proletarian theater that had no enthusiastic reception from the contemporary audience. According to the author in 1923, “Theater professionals treated the book as a “socialist fantasy” of a person who didn’t understand the theater. Workers of the new theater found that I placed too high hopes on proletarian creativity and put on the order of the day a program that could be implemented only after many decades. <...> Nevertheless, the most controversial projects, for example, the complicity of the audience, improvisations, collective creativity in the theater, mass performances in the open air, etc., are now practically implemented”. Kerzhentsev offered to hire amateur performers, designers, directors instead of professional ones, and to discuss all solutions on staging collectively.
The Tatar version of the book was released at the Bolshevik electrical printing shop ‘‘Milliat’. It also printed a periodical ‘Krasnaia tetrad’ the same year. For a long time, Kazan was the center of publishing business in Tatar, Mari, Bashkir, etc. languages in the Kazan Province. During the Civil war, this territory became essential for both Reds and Whites. General military actions took place there in 1918. By 1921 Bolsheviks tried to operate all sectors of economy and culture in the area.
Emerged as a phenomenon in 1906, the Tatar theater was formed of plays awakening national consciousness, enlightening for spiritual revival. Among playwrights of that time were G. Iskhaki, F. Khalidi, G. Kamal, G. Kulakhmetov, S. Ramiev, F. Saifi-Kazanly, F. Amirkhan, I. Bogdanova. The socialist Tatar theater was established in 1920, by decision of the People’s Commissariat for Education of the TASSR. Actors from the previously existing troupes “Sayar”, “Nur”, “Shirkat” merged into the First State Tatar Drama Troupe. In 1922, the theater opened with a premier play “Ƶirsezlәr" [Landless] by F. Burnash. In the 1920s, a circle of young authors was formed: M. Fayzi, F. Burnash, G. Ibragimov, Sh. Usmanov, Kh. Taktash, M. Gafuri, A. Rakhmankulov. The Tatar Theatrical College was opened in 1923. Along with Moscow and Leningrad theaters, Tatar ones differed because of style and methods. In the 1930s, some formalist directors were criticized and repressed. Works by K. Tinchurin, Sh. Usmanov, M. Mutin, F. Saifi-Kazanly, G. Ibragimov, F. Burnash, A. Rakhmankulov were banned in the late 1930s.
Not found in Worldcat.

Price: $650.00