Dokąd zmierza Piotr Niewiadomski : o bohaterze "Soli ziemi" Józefa Wittlina w kontekście mityczno-rytualnym

The author returns to The Salt of the Earth conceived in the mythic-ritual context. She presents characteristic elements of the plot that allow us to interpret the fortunes of the main character through the prism of the initiation ritual. However, what she proposes differs from previous interpretations of the novel. She concludes that by using the poetics of myth and the initiation model the author not only demythologizes war, but also presents a diagnosis of the situation of European civilization on the eve of the cataclysm of World War II. Wittlin also passes judgment on fascination with the primeval myth, as well as on simplistic concepts of the return to a state of unblemished nature, which was supposed to be an antidote to the civilizational threats of the time. The author also contemplates the meaning of the presentation of the protagonist of the novel, Piotr Niewiadomski, as an innocent simpleton. By using the context of the initiation ritual, we can understand Niewiadomski’s journey as a path to recognizing one’s situation in the world leading to rebellion but culminating in cognition and self-awareness. However, the novel’s protagonist does not fully achieve these aims. He remains a person who is incapable of carrying knowledge about the world and about conscious participation. Therefore, in The Salt of the Earth Wittlin poses a question about the responsibility all of us bear for evil, including that resulting from simplifications and from mythologization

Notions of Central Europe in Ziemowit Szczerek’s "Międzymorze"

Autorka analizuje obraz współczesnej Europy Środkowej ukazywanej przez Ziemowita Szczerka jako teren nieustających gier relacji centrum i peryferii. Rozpad, chaos i mitomania jawią się nie tylko jako wyznaczniki charakteru narodowych wspólnot, ale także jako przyczyny niemożności realizacji idei zjednoczenia. Istotne dla tych rozważań są jednak także pytania o status Szczerkowych konstatacji balansujących między analityczną diagnozą a narracją literacką opartą na deklaracji wyobrażenia.The author analyses the image of contemporary Central Europe depicted by Ziemowit Szczerek as an area of continuous interplay between the centre and the periphery. Dissolution, chaos, and mythomania not only seem to indicate the nature of national communities, but also appear to be the reason behind the impossibility of realizing the idea of unification. The questions about the status of Szczerek’s statements, which balance between analytical diagnosis and literary narrative based on constructs of the imagination, are also vital for these considerations

Włoskie wędrówki literackie

The starting point for the author’s considerations refer to literary inspirations with the source in Italy and its culture. The essay is devoted to three books: Pamięci Włoch (Memory of Italy) (1982) by Wojciech Karpiński, Droga do Sieny (Road to Sienna) (2005) by Marek Zagańczyk and Włoskie miniatury (Italian miniatures) (2008) by Adam Szczuciński. The intellectual value of the reflection of writers visiting famous places in Italy and the spiritual aspect of these journeys are particularly emphasized. The author illustrates how essayists bind the thoughts concerning art, landscape and literature with remarks about social life, politics, philosophy. She emphasizes both the similarities and the differences in the apprehension of the subject by particular writers, at the same time indicating the literary value of these books. In the conclusion she underlines the role of the creative reading ability, which causes Italian wanderings to become an inspiration on the way to a better understanding of oneself and the surrounding reality

"Everything is repeated on a single blade of knife" : about the experience of loss in Tadeusz Nowak's "Przebudzenia"

Artykuł poświęcony jest debiutowi prozatorskiemu Tadeusza Nowaka, jednak Przebudzenia interpretowane są w kontekście późniejszej jego twórczości. Propozycje odczytywania tytułowego słowa zmierzają do wskazania kluczowych dla rozumienia prozy Nowaka zagadnień: tęsknoty za utraconym, cierpienia wynikającego ze świadomości braku. Istotną rolę w tych rozważaniach ogrywa figura koła, powtarzanie bowiem wydaje się antidotum przeciwko zanikaniu i śmierci. Pisanie - rozumiane także jako forma powtórzenia - staje się konieczną i stale podejmowaną próbą zasklepiania rany wywołanej przez doświadczenie utraty.The article is devoted to the prose debut of Tadeusz Nowak; however, the volume Przebudzenia [Awakenings] is interpreted in the context of his later writings. The suggestions concerning the interpretation of the title word point at some notions crucial for understanding Nowak’s prose writing: the feeling of yearning for what has been lost and suffering incurred by the awareness of lack. The shape of a circle plays a significant role in these deliberations, since repetition seems to be the antidote for fading away and dying. Writing  - here also understood as a form of repetition - becomes a necessary and continually undertaken attempt to heal the wound caused by the experience of loss

Dokąd zmierza Piotr Niewiadomski – o bohaterze Soli ziemi Józefa Wittlina w kontekście mityczno-rytualnym

The author returns to Sól ziemi regarded in the mythical and ritual context, shows the characteristic plot elements allowing to interpret the story of the protagonist through the lens of an initiation scheme, yet her interpretation of the novel is different than earlier ones. She comes to a conclusion that the writer, using poetics of myth and the initiation model, not only demythologizes the war but also diagnoses the situation of the European civilization on the eve of the disaster of World War II. Moreover, Wittlin puts to judgment the fascination with the myth of primordiality and the oversimplifying concepts of return to the state of untainted nature as an antidote for the dangers of civilization of his age. The author also discusses the meaning of creation of the protagonist, Piotr Niewiadomski, as an innocent simpleton. Using the context of an initiation ritual, one can regard Niewiadomski’s journey as a road to recognition of his own situation in the world, through rebellion to cognition and selfconsciousness, however, the protagonist fails to fully reach these goals. Thus, he remains unable to bear the knowledge on the world and to participate consciously. Therefore, Wittlin in Sól ziemi asks a question about the responsibility of us all for the evil, including the one resulting from simplification and mythologization

Taniec z obecnym i przeszłym (Jerzy Kronhold Epitafium dla Lucy)

The essay on the newest volume of poetry by Jerzy Kronhold is an attempt to indicate the most characteristic advantages of Epitafium dla Lucy and its predominant meanings. The author puts special emphasis on the approach to the topic of passing and death. She stresses the diversity of realization of the motif of memory and its metaphysical context. The poems are often a record of the reality available to the poet, his personal struggle against time. In Kronhold’s volume, an important place is also occupied by historical and geographical concrete, often as a point of departure for conclusions of existential nature. One should also notice the changes in forms of expression and poetics, distinct in comparison with the poet’s previous volumes. Of special interest is the sensuality of several poetic images, the significance of details, the role of musical motifs, as well as a visible tendency to expose the aesthetic qualities of the text