Under the Free Sun

Under the Free Sun by Fran Saleški Finžgar is the great Slovenian historical novel and one of our canonical literary works, not only because its story inspired national feelings, but also because of its superb, epic opulence that half a century ago even intrigued Hollywood to think about turning it into a spectacular period drama. Unfortunately, nothing has (yet?) become of the idea, but The Tale of our Ancient Forefathers saw different literary, theatre and radio adaptations and was recently even adapted as a graphic novel by Damjan Stepančič and Goran Vojnović. The masterpiece which combines the epic story of the Slavic colonisation of the Balkans with the romantic love story between Iztok and Irena also inspired Goran Vojnović to write an original work for the stage – a contemporary interpretation of the myth, taking into account historical and political experiences from the time when the novel was written until today.

In the battle between the great, magnificent, magical, conquering and cruel Byzantium on the one side and the small, belligerent, freedom-hungry barbarians on the other, a fascinating fictional world emerges. In it, a mind game of recognising demons of one’s own time takes place, and very interesting and rather pertinent questions are being opened. Who are today’s barbarians? Where is the Byzantium of today? Are we the barbarians on the edge of the powerful empire or are we the Byzantines that protect Byzantium from the penetrating barbarians? What is the state of our freedom? Are we now living under the free sun or not?

Just as reading Finžgar can still be exciting and attractive, the theatre production will also be exciting and attractive, even spectacular. Although literary history classifies Under the Free Sun as a young adult novel, the novel itself and Vojnović’s interpretation are so complex and full of meaning that they will address a wide range of spectators.

All the questions that Finžgar asked himself are still pertinent, but the responses to them are more complicated, oftentimes incomplete, or even ambiguous, because, in today’s world, even the definition of who is a Byzantine and who is a barbarian is unclear.

Goran Vojnović