Oldal 127 [127]
ENDRE MARTON: CHAPTERS ON LENIN, 1970
drama that, say, Peter Weiss made", "" 1he Investigation, anoratorioin 11 cantos
by the same Swedish-German writer, directed in early 1967 at the National
by Tamás Major, was definitely a key inspiration to assembling Chapters.""5
Gyurké felt an aversion towards historical drama,°” and named the genre
of his work as “documentary oratorio”, which apart from a few connecting
sentences is composed of documents, minutes, letters and memoires.
The dramatic structure is created with the montage of these excerpts, and
all emotional effects rely on “thoughtful, accurate superimposition”*” and
the “exciting qualities of the documents themselves”.“' The work neither
has a coherent narrative, nor does it create narrative figures, and cannot be
approached with the classical categories of theatre theory, i.e. space, time
and plot. It does contain names — the names of the people that the quoted
documentary excerpts originate from — but it lacks dialogues or stage
directions, and the combination of individual voices of different tones makes
it oratoric, while “omitting the chorus typical of the oratorio”.°
Consequently, we can hardly speak of dramatic text, only of dramatic
conflicts, which are conveyed by montage in the central two chapters,
and while it adds to the intellectual content — following Brecht’s teaching,
addressing the mind -, it also manipulates the emotions.* Chapters on
Lenin tries to surpass a realist approach to the past, without giving up on
identification — or at least on the audience’s identification with the difficult
struggle involved in some of the reported historical situations." It does
not give the actor the opportunity to try on a “historical role” and identify
with a “historical character”, but it does for the audience, since according
to Gyurkó, without that, “we are not wholly capable of understanding our
607 (bernath): Fejezetek Leninről, 5.
608 In other words, the director Endre Marton’s statement that “Gyurkö’s work has neither
an antecedent nor a parallel” (Gach: Egyiitt éljiik at, 5.) is false, similarly to all references
to the unique status of Chapters by critics. Today, some of the arguments in favor of the
extraordinary nature of the play seem even ridiculous. Cf. “There has never been a revolution
like this, and such a leader whom this performance is about.” András Rajk: Fejezetek Leninről.
Gondolatok a Nemzeti Színház előadásához, Népszava, Vol. 98, No. 94, 23"! April, 1970, 2.
In a radio interview, Gyurkó said that "I dont like historical novels or historical dramas,
so I dont like having to imagine that I am in a by-gone age, among long-lost people who
actually lived". Szombat délután. Radio broadcast at 16.34. on 18" April, 1970.
M.B.B.: Fejezetek Leninről. Gyurkó László dokumentumoratóriuma a Nemzeti Színházban,
Magyar Nemzet, Vol. 26, No. 99, 294 April, 1970, 5.
György Kriszt: Fejezetek Leninről. Gyurkó László műve a Nemzeti Színházban, Pest Megyei
Hírlap, Vol. 24, No. 114, 17" May, 1980, 4.
62 Ibid.
43 Cf. Gyurkö’s statement: “I wanted to address emotionsin the same way as I wanted to address
the mind. Besides, I am convinced that no problem, no historical problem can be understood
if we do not experience it emotionally." Szombat délután. Radio broadcast at 16.34. on 18"
April, 1970.
Gyurkó said that he was interested in Lenin’s human relations “in a way that would account
for human struggle”. No author: A telefonnál: Gyurkó László, Szervező 12:3 (1970), 11.
609
610
61
614