Преобръщане на значенията на родното и чуждото в българската историческа драма между 1944 и 1989 г
Upending the meanings of ‘us/them’ in Bulgarian period drama between 1944 and 1989

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with Bulgarian period drama between 1944 and 1980 through the prism of the ‘us/them’ problem. Both parts of this binary underwent a radical upending of their meanings, at times absolutely inconsistent with those of the past and sometimes fleetingly and shyly returning to them. This foretold, complicated and unavoidable confusion was a result of the political conjuncture and generally, of the unrestrained communist Soviet ideological dictates. Still, the very privileged position of the future and the fruition of the general plan of achieving it should have continually unsettle and challenge them. Under communism, ‘us’ had to be subject to the common, while ‘them’ was not allowed at all. Thus ‘us’, compromising with ‘them’, could in no way get united in the ‘own’, while ‘them’, which had to be missing and was driven out, became estranged in the natural course of events. The ‘us/them’ were initially pointed by the occupier, remaining completely out of synch with the natural dynamism and the change in the us/them relationship. The article broaches some major and well-known dramatic texts of that period, divided in three mythological cycles (the underground fight waged by communists; the period of the National Revival and the medieval period) by such playwrights as Orlin Vasilev, Kamen Zidarov, Ivan Peichev, Georgi Markov, Stefan Tsanev, Nicola Rusev, Konstantin Iliev, Margarit Minkov, etc. Highlighted are both the things in common and the substantial differences from the period drama and the ‘us/them’ problem until 1944.

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