THE MANUSCRIPT LEGACY OF THE THEATRE ON ĐUMRUK

FORGOTTEN LIBRARY MATERIALS

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the history of the manuscripts of the Theatre on Đumruk, which formed part of the first theatre library in the Principality of Serbia. The significance of these old Serbian manuscripts, written during the first half of the 19th century, arises from their role in the development of theatre and cultural life in the newly restored Serbia, as well as in the evolution of Serbian dramatic literature. After the disbandment of the theatre and its library, the manuscripts were taken on loan by the actor Toma Isaković,
who went to Novi Sad, and then to Zagreb, where the manuscripts eventually remained despite unsuccessful attempts by the authors to recover them. The chronology of the search for these materials and the history of research on them to date are presented. After examining 12 manuscripts in 2026, it was
confirmed that 12 plays from the Theatre on Đumruk are kept in the National and University Library in Zagreb. The remaining manuscripts are believed to be housed in the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, where the manuscript of Atanasije Nikolić’s Adelaide, the Shepherdess of the Alps, a dramatization of Marmontel’s tale translated by Dositej Obradović, was found five years ago. Given the previous lack of interest in this significant manuscript material, this paper aims to highlight both the importance of the collection itself and the necessity of preserving both the material and knowledge surrounding them. This movable cultural heritage represents an important asset for researchers and interpreters of various aspects of Serbian and Serbo-Croatian cultural, theatrical and literary history.