Herbert. Light Leads by the Hand

“Herbert. Light Leads by the Hand” is a musical performance inspired by the life and work of Zbigniew Herbert. It is based on a selection of essays from the collection “The Barbarian in the Garden” and is a literary journey into the world of culture, guided by the author himself. It leads the audience through the beauty and harmony of Mediterranean cultural works and through selected poems. Cast:

• Andrzej Mastalerz
• Dariusz Kowalski
• Sebastian Fabiański

In “The Barbarian in the Garden,” the poet writes about works of art with great erudition and sensitivity. He captures the essence of the work of painters and builders of great cathedrals, depicts their times and the places whose genius loci he tries to grasp. The narrator of the essays is the titular “barbarian,” a person who moves confidently in the world of art. He is interested in old painting and architecture, as well as the sensory experience of views, scents, and flavors. He is a pilgrim, a conscious and educated observer who returns to a country where travel “postcards” serve a purpose: to evoke the order and harmony on which the culture of Europe is built. This was written in times when speaking of basic values “directly” was impossible. Herbert finds his “moral constant” in the Greco-Roman tradition, in the foundations of Europe, from which the verdict of history separated Poland.

The performance asks what kind of Barbarian in the garden appears today. It attempts to let the “disinherited” reclaim what was taken from them and to restore to them a great homeland in the garden of Europe. Herbert makes everyone “masters of tradition,” entitled to choose from it. Writing about art, freedom, and enslavement, he writes about the Poland of his time, about himself, and above all about us.

Practical information: the performance lasts 1h 30min.