In the Realm of Politics, Nonsense, and the Absurd

Abstract

The myth of Antigone remained relevant in the twentieth century, and new plays inspired by this myth appeared not only in the West but also in Slavonic drama during and after WW2. Oppressed societies, abuses of power, persecution and execution of political and ideological opponents create a fertile ground for a creative return to the Sophoclean tragedy. Some of the new plays have roots in the trauma of WW2, others in post-war Soviet domination. Significantly, these plays attach growing importance to the character of Creon. Among the discussed playwrights are two Serbs, Jovan Hristić and Oto Bihajli-Merin, two Croats, Marijan Matković and Drago Ivanišević, and the Slovene, Dominik Smole; four Poles, Artur Marya Swinarski, Krystyna Berwińska, Nora Szczepańska, and Roman Brandstaetter; one Slovak, Peter Karvaš, and one Czech, Milan Uhde.