Historyk o literaturze i teatrze – publicystyka Ignacego Schipera (1918–1939)

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the figure of Ignacy Schiper – a historian, whose greatest passion was literature and theatre. The article shows an analysis of themes and topics undertaken by the scholar in his journalistic texts written in Polish. Journalism is, according to the author, a form of expression preferred by Schiper, who realized that scientific work only reach a narrow group of researchers, whereas articles in press are, due to their wide availability, an excellent tool for educating the readers and supplementing their knowledge. The author indicates two main topics of Schiper’s journalism – literature and theatre. Schiper gained recognition in the interwar press as a literary critic who described the greatest achievements of Jewish literature (presenting both classics and texts of contemporary writers). Moreover, he contributed to the development of the history of Jewish theatre and drama. The Zionist historian believed that Jewish national works should be created only in Hebrew, not in Yiddish – the language of the diaspora, being the stigma of the breakup of the nation and the lack of homeland.