Janka Hescheles’ 'Locomotive' (to Bełżec)

This article concerns the influence of the most famous Polish poem for children: Lokomotywa by Julian Tuwim, particularly in three “Holocaust” paraphrases of this work, written by children in the ghetto and the concentration camps – the poems Lokomotywa by Jerzy Ogórek, Pociągu świst by Jerzy Orłowski, and especially Bełżec by Janka Hescheles.Zadanie „Stworzenie anglojęzycznych wersji wydawanych publikacji” finansowane w ramach umowy nr 948/P-DUN/2016 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę

In the Forest of Words I Got Lost – About the Silence in the Poetry of Antonio Colinas and Zbigniew Herbert

The aim of this comparative article is to present the similarity of the poetic concepts of Antonio Colinas and Zbigniew Herbert. The poets did not know each other, there are no traces of mutual influences to be found in their poetic output either, however, they both seemed to be equally connected with the Mediterranean culture. This article concentrates on the meaning of silence in their poetry seen as a necessary supplement to the art of words, hope for saving the sense from ambiguity and hubbub of words. The insufficiency of both the accessible language and silence inspired the poets to seek a form of expression that could satisfy human needs, “the unattainable language.” The search, between the word and silence, is manifested in the poetic works of Colinas and Herbert

There Will be no Strength. (In)coherence and (Im)potency

In 1949, Czesław Miłosz spent a few days in Wroclaw, which was still in ruins after WWII. Six years later Miłosz wrote an interesting poem entitled Pokój (The Room) and created a symbolical vision of the city. The article discusses the style and meaning of the poem, and compares it with another (earlier) poem by Miłosz entitled In Warsaw, which also referred to a post-WWII, heavily destroyed city. This comparison reveals the convergences and differences between both texts

Czesław Miłosz’ American Experience in Światło dzienne (Daylight)

Miłosz’s volume Światło dzienne (Daylight, 1953) is conventionally read by critics as the political poetry deeply engaged with history. The article offers a corrective to this traditional reading by interpreting the volume as an interplay of European and American influences. As a European poet, Miłosz had experienced the violent demise of ideals that were the foundation of the Old World. Światło dzienne (Daylight) is, therefore, at one level, an elegiac volume, in which both persons and ideas are mourned. On the other hand, to the extent that for Miłosz America continues the noble ideas abandoned in Europe, he cannot accept what he regards as their misguided or perverse incarnations. This explains the emotional climate of the whole volume, with its dominant mood of disappointment, anger and a refusal of reconciliation. Światło dzienne (Daylight) is American in its outlook on taking seriously America’s status as a superpower and its influence on the future di­rection of the global history. It is anti-American, however, in identifying America’s perceived failures to live up to the post-war challenge for the human civilization in general, and the consequent dangers. The article intends to assess Miłosz’s debt to English-language poetry in this volume in light of his personal notes from his reading and translation work at the time.This article was written as a part of the scholar’s own research project 'American Themes in Czesław Miłosz’s Writings over the period 1945–1953' No. 4073/B/H03/2011/40 financed by The National Science Centre

Poezja w sutannie

Autor w tekście przedstawia książkę-antologię poetycką pt. Poeci w sutannie pod redakcją ks. Stefana Radziszewskiego. W książce znajdują się poezje oraz komentarze do własnej poezji autorstwa następujących ośmiu polskich księżypoetów: 1) ks. prof. Janusz Artur Ihnatowicz, 2) ks. prof. Jerzy Szymik, 3) ks. Janusz A. Kobierski, 4) ks. Wacław Buryła, 5) ks. prof. Stanisław Kobielus, 6) ks. Grzegorz Stachura, 7) ks. prof. Jan Sochoń, 8) ks. dr Kazimierz Wójtowicz CR.The author presents the book – an anthology of poetry entitled Poeci w sutannie [Poets in the Cassock] edited by Fr. Stefan Radziszewski. In the book there are poems and comments on their own poetry by eight Polish priests-poets: 1) Fr. Prof. Janusz Artur Ihnatowicz, 2) Fr. Prof. Jerzy Szymik, 3) Fr. Janusz A. Kobierski, 4) Fr. Waclaw Buryla, 5) Fr. Prof. Stanislaw Kobielus, 6) Fr. Grzegorz Stachura, 7) Fr. Prof. Jan Sochon, 8) Fr. Dr Kazimierz Wojtowicz CR (a resurrectionist)

Sign language poetry as a factor which create the culture

In the paper there are presented different forms of sign language poetry. They are created by the Deaf, a language and culture minority, using the natural sign language. They are also forms of games and activities and thus create a culture of deaf community. In addition, each of the described forms of poetry is refered to the Roger Caillois’s conception of a paidia-ludus axis.In the paper there are presented different forms of sign language poetry. They are created by the Deaf, a language and culture minority, using the natural sign language. They are also forms of games and activities and thus create a culture of deaf community. In addition, each of the described forms of poetry is refered to the Roger Caillois’s conception of a paidia-ludus axis

Kamieńska ostiumiczna

W recenzji książki monograficznej ks. Stefana Radziszewskiego pt. Kamińska ostiumiczna (‘Kamieńska w odrzwiach’) omówiono krótko jej strukturę, zawartość (treść) i konkluzje twórcy dzieła. Książka dotyczy opisu i analizy poezji polskiej poetki chrześcijańskiej Anny Kamieńskiej (1920-1986). Autor monografii objął badaniem całą twórczość poetycką tej poetki (wszystkie tomiki wierszy). Ks. Radziszewski wprowadził kategorię ‘ostiumiczności’, którą rozumie czworako (definiuje to na s. 238): 1. dziedzictwo poetyki quasi sacrum, 2. negacja negacji (interpretacja symboliczna), 3. swoiste odczytanie apokastasis panton [odnowienia całego bytu], 4. realizacja idei paschalnej.In his review of the monographic book by father Stefan Radziszewski Ostiumic Kamienska (‘Kamienska in the door’) the author briefly discussed the structure, content and conclusions of this work. The book is concerned with the description and analysis of the poetry of Anna Kamienska (1920-1986) a Polish Christian poet. In his monograph Stefan Radziszewski dealt with all of Kamienska’s poetic works. He introduced the category ‘ostiumicsness’ that he understood in four ways (he defined it on p. 238): 1. heritage of the ‘quasi sacred ‘ poetics, 2. the negation of negation (a symbolic interpretation), 3. specific re-reading of apokatastasis panton [renewal of all the being], 4. realization of the paschal idea

„To nie jest poezja w całym słowa tego znaczeniu”. Pieśni żałobne getta Izabeli Gelbard

The main purpose of this article is to analyse the reception of Izabela Glebard’s (Czajka-Stachowicz’s) works, with particular emphasis on her only book of poety Pieśni żałobne getta . At first Gelbard intentionally chooses poetry, but after the experience of World War II, she leaves it completely and repleces by prose. The root cause of this state of affairs is the war trauma. Very important is also the critical attitude of the writer to her poems. These works have not been appreciated by literary critics who treat them as a document and testimony rather than a valuable poetry. It seems that the Gelbard poems, like all her works, are waiting for a new, contextual reading.The main purpose of this article is to analyse the reception of Izabela Glebard’s (Czajka-Stachowicz’s) works, with particular emphasis on her only book of poety Pieśni żałobne getta . At first Gelbard intentionally chooses poetry, but after the experience of World War II, she leaves it completely and repleces by prose. The root cause of this state of affairs is the war trauma. Very important is also the critical attitude of the writer to her poems. These works have not been appreciated by literary critics who treat them as a document and testimony rather than a valuable poetry. It seems that the Gelbard poems, like all her works, are waiting for a new, contextual reading