Lucjan Rydel, also known as Lucjan Antoni Feliks Rydel (17 May 1870 in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

– 8 April 1918 in Bronowice Małe), was a Polish playwright and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

from the

Young Poland Young Poland ( pl, Młoda Polska) was a modernist period in Polish visual arts, literature and music, covering roughly the years between 1890 and 1918. It was a result of strong aesthetic opposition to the earlier ideas of Positivism. Young Pol ...

movement.

Life

Rydel was the son of Lucjan Rydel, a surgeon, ophthalmologist, professor and

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and of Helena Kremer. In 1904, Rydel wrote a nativity play, ''Polish Bethlehem'' (''Betlejem polskie''), and staged its production in two suburbs of Kraków, Tonie and Bronowice, with local villagers as actors. It was an expression of his profound respect for rural Poland as well as the result of his flair for theatrical experimentation. Rydel left the third and the final act of his play open. In the course of history, new characters, including contemporary Polish politicians and celebrities, were added to it by various producers to make the play appeal to new audiences. An open end play like ''Betlejem polskie'' is a tradition originating with Kraków's only '' Szopka'' (pronounced ''shopka'', "The Nativity Scene", or "The Christmas Crib", commonly translated as "The Christmas Creche") to which new characters are added every year. Rydel became the director of the renowned Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków for one season, 1915-1916. His marriage to Jadwiga Mikołajczykówna, a peasant daughter from Bronowice, took place at the Rydlówka Manor, on Tetmajera Street. The event inspired Rydel's

pen pal Pen pals (or penpals, pen-pals, penfriends or pen friends) are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. Pen pals are usually strangers whose relationship is based primarily, or even solely, on their exchange of let ...

and friend

Stanisław Wyspiański Stanisław Mateusz Ignacy Wyspiański (; 15 January 1869 – 28 November 1907) was a Polish playwright, painter and poet, as well as interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created a series of symbolic, national dramas withi ...

to write what became known as the defining Polish independence drama, '' Wesele'' ("The Wedding", or "The Wedding Reception"). Rydel's historical place of residence, the Rydlówka Manor, houses a museum of the

period in the outskirts of Kraków.

Selected plays

*''Zaczarowane koło'' (1900) *''Betlejem polskie'' (1904) *''Ferenike i Pejsidoros'' (1909) *''Zygmunt August – trylogia dramatyczna'' (1912)

Notes

External links

*
About Lucjan Rydel at www.slowtrav.com

Collected works

Lucjan Rydel mentioned
alongside Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rydel, Lucjan 20th-century Polish dramatists and playwrights Polish male dramatists and playwrights 1870 births 1918 deaths 20th-century Polish poets Polish male poets

Life

Selected plays

See also

Notes

External links