Stanislavski’s self-writting: four notes about My life in art

Abstract

The book My life in art, by the Russian theater director Constantin Stanislavski, is analyzed here from the point of view of the possible relation between “self-writing” operationalized by its author and the “work of the actor on himself” developed by Stanislavski himself in his theatrical practice. The article discusses the formal devices that enable the construction of an autobiographical character in this narrative (the idealistic notion of art, specific historical conditions and, finally, the description of the character), realizing how, throughout the unfolding of the plot, there is a fusion between the narrator’s and the character’s voices. Such a fusion seems to indicate one of the primary operations actors should perform to achieve the kind of spontaneity the character pursues throughout the book in his various scenic experiences. Thus, using tools of literary criticism, theory of History and theatrical studies, it is possible to put forward the hypothesis that the work Stanislavski proposes to his actors necessarily requires a kind of writing that is widely inspired in modern novel.

Keywords: Constantin Stanislavski; theatre; autobiography.