Tajemnica życia i teatru: Teatralne widzenie świata w powieściach Kazimierza Brauna

This article analyzes Kazimierz Braun’s works from 2016–2020 (Dzwon na trwogę [Alarum Bell], Płonący teatr [The Burning Theatre], Próba Apokalipsy [Apocalypse Rehearsal] and Teatr@ziemia.niebo [Theatre@earth.heaven]) as a series of theater novels with an autobiographical slant. Here, theater becomes a theme, a space for creation, a contribution to reflections on the condition of contemporary theater art, and a way of seeing the world. The image of theater in the memory of Braun the theater director is combined with a dream of theater and a vision of its desired future, which are embedded in a mythologizing memory. The central question of theater’s mission at the individual, national, and social level is accompanied by a critical reflection on present theater, which largely stems from Braun’s evaluation of the achievements of so-called “Second Theatre Reform,” of which he was a participant and chronicler. Therefore, an important point of reference in the analysis of Braun’s novels is provided by his articles and books in theater studies. The mystery of life and theater, which the author of the article has identified as the leitmotif of the novel series, concerns the close relationship between the creative world and the spiritual dimension of human existence and refers to the transformation of the real, finite, and temporal into the imaginary, spiritual, and immortal. In Braun’s essentialist view, this mystery is at the same time the essence of theater and acting. The author argues that the metatheatrical dimension of the world constructed in Braun’s novels is closely linked to the process of the author’s self-interpretation and self-creation as a scholar and practitioner.