Narodowe Czytanie | National Reading 2021
Moralność pani Dulskiej by Gabriela Zapolska
Written by EWELINA ELLSMORE | LITERATURE COORDINATOR
Over the last decade, the National Reading has become a national literature celebration of the most significant works in Polish. This year a play titled The morality of Mrs Dulska (Moralność pani Dulskiej) written by Gabriela Zapolska takes center stage. Written in the autumn of 1906, this comedy quickly became popular following the play’s world premiere on December 15, 1906, at the Municipal Theater in Krakow. It is one of Zapolska’s most significant creative achievements, enriching Polish literature with important social reflection. This literary work holds a wealth of social observations, filled with bitter irony, a masterful depiction of character, and clever dialogues. The morality of Mrs Dulska condemns hypocrisy and, above all, expresses a universal moral message that in the name of honesty and justice makes us condemn evil. The term “dulszczyzna” derived from the protagonist’s name permanently entered the colloquial Polish language, becoming commonly understood as hypocrisy and deception.
Narodowe Czytanie | National Reading 2021 is held on Saturday 4 September 2021.