L'affaire Paŭlinka de Ianka Koupala (1882-1942) sous la « loi Nefed » (1916-1999) ou comment produire du texte « soviétique » à partir d'écrits qui ne le sont pas

Résumé En

From 1939 to 1996, Vladimir Ivanovich Nefed (1916-1999) was one of the most powerful men in Belarusian theatre. His pen could determine success or social death. The history of the Belarusian Soviet theatre was written in his own image, dramatic texts rewritten and performances adapted to suit his views on what should be the « Soviet theatre » of Belarussia. In this paper, we illustrate the importance of the involvement of this man in « the Soviet factory of Arts and Culture » through a case study : the history of Paûlinka. This drama, written in 1912 by Ianka Kupala (1882- 1942), was revised to suit Soviet ideology and to become a touchstone for all representations of Belarusian-ness , loyal to Soviet power. Pending further research to better clarify the identity of Vladimir Nefed, this case study seems to show, how one can produce a political aesthetic and a Soviet drama from a text that is anything but Soviet. It also shows how a man can rewrite the cultural history of a whole country to justify his own creation, stereotypes and ideas : a cultural history in which we continue to list, today, all the forgeries.