Flames

Stanisław Brzozowski's writing was formative reading for my generation. In our early productions, we spoke in fragments from "Flames", identifying with Brzozowski's thought, with his stance of rebellion. This thinker, who read in six languages, left reflections on Polishness that remain strikingly relevant — he taught how to free oneself from "infantilized" Polishness, from shallow Catholicism, and finally from nationalist Polishness.

Brzozowski wrote "Flames" in 1906, and the relevance of the problems contained in the novel is striking. Michał Kaniowski, the hero of "Flames", commits an act of self-immolation in the name of the struggle for freedom. This gesture will be tragically repeated — on October 19, 2017, Piotr Szczęsny committed an act of self-immolation in Plac Defilad before the Palace of Culture.

Brzozowski's prophetic words come true: a person can be killed, but thought cannot be killed. The narrators of the performance are women — Katia and Ola, who printed leaflets and threw bombs — telling the stories of Michał Kaniowski and his revolutionary friends.

The performance is dedicated to people fighting for freedom around the world.
— Janusz Opryński