(upcoming)
For a long time, the experience of the Middle Passage was referred to as “resistant to storytelling” – too traumatic to write about it, unsuited for the narrative form and easier to express in poetry (Harding 2005). Over the last thirty years, a shift in this attitude can be observed, particularly among black writers, who have consciously tried to supplement those gaps in history. The chapter proposes a study of one of the most powerful fictionalised Middle Passage narratives – presented in Alex Haley’s novel “Roots” (1976) – which will serve as a departure point to speak about the difficult heritage of slavery and the forced migration of Africans. The analysis is conducted from the perspective of literary studies, recognising that heritage is also a form of discourse constituting part of culture (Smith 2006, 4) and is mediated in various forms; thus, examining literature that represents heritage is both meaningful and justified. The literary text analysed in this chapter has profoundly influenced American perceptions of the transatlantic slave trade. The chapter seeks to comprehensively analyse the depiction of the Middle Passage within these seminal works through a multisensory mobility lens. Emphasising the sensory disorientation and adaptation that the enslaved endured, the chapter aims to elucidate the visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile elements embedded in this literary narrative. The ensuing discussion will offer a nuanced understanding of the sociocultural and psychological ramifications of slavery and its enduring legacy. Central to this examination is a concept of multisensory mobility, exploring the intricate interplay of multiple senses and their relationship with the movement depicted within that narrative.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: In preparations, will be published in 2024.
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Cultural Heritage and Mobility from a Multisensory Perspective
EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE ISSUE WITH JUSTYNA TUSZYŃSKA, Ph.D.
The increasing prominence of queer narratives in global popular culture, including Poland, warrants academic attention. Alice Oseman's "Heartstopper," a graphic novel depicting a teenage love story, has become a bestseller in Poland, surpassing works by authors like Olga Tokarczuk, with its Netflix adaptation achieving similar success. Poland's "Dancing with the Stars" featured its first same-sex male couple, and an episode from "The Last of Us" series, titled "Long, Long Time," focusing on a male romance, quickly gained iconic status.
Academic inquiry in Poland has explored queer themes in 'high culture,' but lacks focus on popular literary and cinematic forms beyond canonical works. In the upcoming issue of "Przegląd Kulturoznawczy" (Cultural Studies Review), we aim to examine the intersection of queer narratives and popular culture, exploring terms like 'queer-pop' and 'pop-queer,' and investigating the reciprocal influence between queerness and popular culture using theoretical frameworks from scholars like Foucault, Bourdieu, Hall, Wark, and Halberstam.
Type of the publication: Issue of a magazine
Published in: In preparations, will be published in 2024.
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Przegląd Kulturoznawczy
EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE ISSUE WITH JAKUB KOŚCIÓŁEK, PhD; DARIUSZ BRZOSTEK, PROF.
This issue will attempt to trace the historical trajectory of the concept and its designates: from the concrete (the historical fact and its subsequent interpretations) to the metaphorical (discursive conceptualization and rhetorical device in the languages of politics and social criticism). Bearing in mind the socio-cultural area from which slavery emerges as a shameful specter haunting the world of nascent civic freedoms, we aim to unveil the ideological, artistic, and affective filters through which the modern West has sought to describe human trafficking. We also plan to examine how contemporary societies of former dependent territories manage the memory of slavery in narratives and practices, building their present identity through, as Stuart Hall wrote years ago, "retelling history anew." We are also interested in the latest reinterpretations of this concept in political, artistic, and scientific discourses - its work as a mechanism producing phantasms, often detached from the historical sources of slavery itself. Important here will be possible (over)uses of the concept itself in social and political debates, where the "slavery" metaphor is often an example and argument purely rhetorical.
Type of the publication: Issue of a magazine
Published in: In preparations, will be published in 2024.
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Kultura Współczesna
This article examines the myth of the white man, drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Ernst Cassirer and Hans Blumenberg. The myth of the white man is primarily rooted in the belief in the distinctive "civilizing mission" attributed to white Europeans, which is further reinforced by racist narratives, often intertwined with theological underpinnings. The focus of this analysis is to explore the origins and dissemination of this narrative , which emerged concurrently with the colonial expansion of European empires beyond their continental borders. Furthermore, the article aims to highlight the association between the myth of white hegemony and Christian religions, acknowledging that the narrative took shape differently within Catholic and Protestant contexts.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Transformacje #4/23
Language of the publication: English
Link to the publication: The Myth of the White Man: Deconstructing Colonial Narratives of Power
Subject to analysis in this article will be two related texts: the novel Song of Solo-mon by Toni Morrison, published in 1977, and Ewa Łuczak’s article devoted the reto, entitled Homecoming in „Song of Solomon”: Nostalgia and the Construction of Identity. I would like to partially focus on examining Łuczak’s text, for whom political and social contexts depicted in the novel are the point of departure. Łuczak analyses the Song of Solomon in view of the ‘discourse of home’ present in Morrison’s work, and through the category of nostalgia. In my article, I would like to draw attention to other possible interpretations of the Nobel Prize winner’s text, thus complementing the interpretation offered by Ewa Łuczak by introducing new contexts.
I propose to replace the category of nostalgia by interpreting the Song of Solomon in the light of one of the most important myths of the African diaspora, around which the entire novel is structured – the myth of the Flying Africans. Łuczak notes this myth in just one sentence. Although this article contains some grounds for a polemic, I would like it to be, above all, an interesting starting point for a broader discussion of the cultural hegemony of Western readings of postcolonial literary texts
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Czytanie Literatury Łódzkie Studia Literaturoznawcze #12/23
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: O jednym odczytaniu Song of Solomon
From the very beginning of his activity in many fields, Professor Andrzej Porębski's intellectual interests - and, consequently, his scientific and social interests - were related to the search for what, in the diversity of the modern world, makes it possible to combine different types of values, actions and rules of social order. In the analytical, but also humanistically adopted approach of the Professor, one can see the methodical pursuit of a harmonious combination of the need to respect and use the cultural heritage and openness to the inevitable transformations. Such an intellectual framework provides an important point of reference for the reflection undertaken by the authors of this volume dedicated to Professor Andrzej Porębski. The volume consists of studies whose authors address issues that are principled for the understanding of the individual, his spiritual dimension, duty and role in the world, and the functioning of societies, including those in which various concerns are formulated, arising not so much from pessimism or catastrophism, but from concern and responsibility for the community. There could also be no lack of chapters dealing with the extremely inspiring community that is the Swiss Confederation, as well as with other European societies and cultures that co-create a cultural circle that is undergoing constant transformation, but invariably constitutes a point of reference for us. Chapters treating Poles, Poland and Polish culture also belong to this category in a special way. Finally, the volume features chapters on other, sometimes distant regions - the authors take up the theme of the coexistence of cultures in different contexts, and above all cultural communities, their heritage and identity.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: Wspólnoty wartości: Dziedzictwo i tożsamość, 2023 (pp.405-418)
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Pęknięcie, z którego wychodzą duchy. Tożsamość postkolonialna w powieści Helen Oyeyemi Mała Ikar
The article explores the issue of heritage tourism in Africatown, Alabama, where the wreck of the last slave ship, the Clotilda, was discovered in 2019 and where the descendants of the enslaved people brought on the ship still live. This is a case in statu nascendi - the wreck was discovered relatively recently, and the site has not yet become a mass tourism destination. Interest in Clotilda has grown thanks to publications and documentaries, which largely shape the narrative of its heritage today. The main problem the Africatown community will be facing in the coming years is the risk of appropriation and for-profit tourism and overcoming the ongoing struggle with the adverse effects of heavy industry expansion and poverty. The article aims to provide a preliminary mapping of how the descendants of Clotilda Africans are attempting to protect their heritage, aiming towards sustainable tourism in the area.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Turystyka Kulturowa #3/23
Language of the publication: Polish
The main objective of this paper is to analyze the 2013 documentary The Art of Disappearing, directed by Bartek Konopka and Piotr Rosołowski, using the category of spirituality. Although the film attempts to show everyday life in the Polish People's Republic from the perspective of a stranger, a Haitian voodoo practitioner, looking closer at the type of spirituality presented in the movie, makes the article's author lean towards an opposite idea: The Art of Disappearing permeated by the romantic spirituality makes its protagonist, Amon Frémon a convenient vessel for the worldview and ideas shaped by polish Romanticism.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: Religia historia i przyszłość w kulturze afrokaraibskiej, 2022 (pp.163-182),
Language of the publication: Polish
The article provides a detailed analysis of the use of the myth of the Flying Africans in contemporary Caribbean literature, focusing on the Guadeloupean novel "Ti Jean L’horizon" by Simone Schwarz-Bart. The myth, central to the African diaspora's imagination in the Americas, tells of African slaves who transformed into birds to return home. The novel, translated into English as "Between Two Worlds," is unique for its portrayal of the protagonist Ti Jean, who transforms into a bird not to return to Africa but from Africa to the Caribbean. Schwarz-Bart's narrative style is noted for its intertextual references and allusions to various literary and oral texts, with a particular emphasis on the Flying Africans myth. The novel is described as a blend of poetic prose, fairytale narration, and traditional realism, possibly qualifying as magical realism. It reflects the complexities of Caribbean identity, culture, and language, and questions the validity of returning to Africa while emphasizing rediscovering neglected Caribbean history. The central theme of the novel is the "return home," which, in Ti Jean's case, is metaphorically and literally a return to the Caribbean rather than Africa. The novel delves into the African pre-colonial past, exploring themes of identity, culture, and the Middle Passage experience. Ti Jean, through his heroic deeds and survival skills, symbolizes resistance and hope, fueling the diasporic imagination. The article also discusses the broader context of Caribbean literature, the role of myth in constructing cultural identity, and the postcolonial themes in Schwarz-Bart's work. It highlights how the novel subverts the traditional myth, offering a new perspective on Caribbean identity and history.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: Religia historia i przyszłość w kulturze afrokaraibskiej, 2022 (pp.135-161)
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Ti Jean wraca na Karaiby. Mit Flying Africans w powieści Simone Schwarz-Bart Ti Jean L'horizon
This article delves into Abdulrazak Gurnah's novel "Afterlives," which intricately explores the lingering effects of colonialism through the depiction of the brutal colonial rule in German East Africa during the early 20th century. By focusing on the historical atrocities committed against the Herero, Nama, and San peoples in Namibia, and paralleling these with the experiences of characters like Yusuf and Hamza, the novel connects the historical with the personal. Yusuf's transformation from a debt-bonded servant to a participant in his master's trading ventures, and Hamza's conscription into the German colonial army, highlight the complexities of identity and agency under colonial domination. The novel draws an important parallel with the British Windrush generation, underscoring how colonial legacies continue to impact descendants of colonial subjects. The narrative weaves together themes of displacement, cultural identity, and the quest for autonomy, presenting a multifaceted critique of the enduring consequences of European colonial policies. Gurnah's novel is not only a historical recount but also a poignant commentary on the dynamics of power, culture, and resistance in postcolonial contexts.
Type of the publication: Article
Czas Literatury #3/2022 (pp 34-35)
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Czas Literatury #3/2022
EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE ISSUE WITH DARIUSZ BRZOSTEK, PROFESSOR.
In the contemporary discourse on modernity, marked by crises and transitions towards fluid or late stages, the resurgence of futurisms—concepts inherently modern and focused on notions of development, progress, and prognosis—poses intriguing questions. This collection of texts explores the imaginative reinvention of modernity and the design of future in postcolonial societies, former dependent territories, and countries of the global South. These essays delve into the repercussions of technological revolutions in science, art, and everyday practices, along with methodological shifts in envisioning future realities. A significant focus is placed on Afrofuturism, a distinctive and expansive manifestation of future-making, evident in contemporary culture. This movement, initially sparked by the 1993 article by Mark Dery, has since expanded to encapsulate a wide range of cultural expressions across the African diaspora and Africa itself, influenced by historical contexts of colonialism, racism, and slavery. Through an exploration of Afrofuturism and related practices, this issue examines the cultural narratives and vernacular tales that recount various attempts to enrich human conditions, viewing future possibilities through a uniquely black cultural lens. This narrative and practice of Afrofuturism not only project future visions but also disrupt the linear conception of time, combining elements of science fiction, historical fiction, afrocentrism, and magical realism.
Type of the publication: Issue of a magazine
Published in: Przegląd Kulturoznawczy #3/21
Language of the publication: English
Link to the publication: The Return of Futurisms: Culture of the Future Beyond the Global Center
WITH PROF. DARIUSZ BRZOSTEK, Ph.D.
The interview with Louis Chude-Sokei explores the intersections of race, identity, art, and technology within the African diaspora, focusing on concepts like Black Technopoetics and Afrofuturism. Chude-Sokei distinguishes Black Technopoetics from Afrofuturism, emphasizing its broader, more inclusive approach to Black engagement with technology.
He highlights music production as a transformative space for cultural expression and innovation, particularly during the 1960s and 70s. Chude-Sokei discusses the transition from analog to digital media and its impact on future-oriented cultural identities.
Regarding Afrofuturism, Chude-Sokei challenges misinterpretations and emphasizes its complex historical and cultural context. He also addresses the future of African-American studies on science and technology, advocating for deeper scholarly engagement.
Lastly, Chude-Sokei provides insights into an upcoming Afrofuturism festival in New York City, emphasizing its collaborative nature and diverse range of events centered around music and cultural expression. Through this festival, he aims to showcase the richness and diversity of Afrofuturist thought within the African diaspora.
Type of the publication: Interview
Published in: Przegląd Kulturoznawczy #3/21
Language of the publication: English
Link to the publication: Afro-futurism and Black Technopoetics: An Interview with Louis Chude-Sokei
Spaceships and Underwater Tribes – Afrofuturistic Contexts of the Flying Africans Myth This article’s objective is to compare different afrofuturistic texts containing references to the Flying Africans myth. I am going to analyse Anthony Joseph’s text The African Origins of UFOs and Nalo Hopkinson’s novel The Salt Roads in the musical funk and ambient context. My main focus is the song Star Child from album The Mothership Connection by the American band Parliament-Funkadelic and an electro-ambient album by the American group Drexciya, entitled The Quest, built around a story about an underwater human race living in the bottom of the Atlantic, born of pregnant women thrown overboard by slave ships.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Przegląd Kulturoznawczy #3/21
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Latające statki i podwodne plemiona – afrofuturystyczne konteksty mitu Flying Africans
The article is a brief summary of Abdulrazah Gurnah's work to date from the perspective of comparative literature.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Czas Literatury #4/2021
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Z kim rozmawia Abdulrazak Gurnah?
Dorota Masłowska, known for "Wojna polsko-ruska," has released her tenth book, "How to Take Over the World 2." She is no longer considered a young generation author. She is also engaged in journalistic and musical activities. Her artistic experiments, such as the Mister D. project, provoke various reactions. A fashion brand advertising campaign sparked controversy, criticized for promoting consumer culture and trivializing mental health issues. Masłowska, as an artist, is aware of the significance of her actions in the public sphere, yet she doesn't always control the reception of her projects. Nevertheless, her experimental approach to art and the diversity of her endeavors transcend the confines of a traditional literary career, contributing to her complex image as a versatile and rebellious artist.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Nowa Dekada Krakowska. Dwumiesięcznik kulturalny #r 1/2/2020
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Film, muzyka, teledysk, reklama – Dorota Masłowska i „inne media.”
The author became interested in the body of the texts analyzed in this article during her research on variants and versions of the Flying Africans myth in 20th century culture and literature. In the US the main folkloric source of this narrative is an account of oral folklore collected in Georgia from African-Americans, published in 1940 as a part of Federal’s Writer’s Project. The book, entitled Drums and Shadows. Survival Studies Among the Georgia Coastal Negroes directed by Mary Granger, contains interviews with people many of whom had been born in slavery. African Americans interviewed in the project speak widely about talismans, spirits, lucky and unlucky omens and actions, as well as other aspects of their culture and folklore, including a significant amount of flight-related narratives. The dialect in the interviews is transcribed phonetically and difficult for a non-English native speaker, nevertheless the concept of ‘conjuring’ grabs the attention of the reader. This short study is an introduction to a broader analysis of the conceptual domain of ‘conjuring’ in the GWP interviews. The author uses the conceptual metaphor theory in order to establish how magic and witchcraft are conceptualized by the Georgia Writer’s Project speakers.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Studia Etnologiczne i Antropologiczne #18
Language of the publication: Polish
Professor Andrzej Szyjewski, author of "From Valinor to Mordor. The world of myth and religion in Tolkien's work," is interviewed by Elżbieta Binczycka-Gacek and Anita Całek.
Type of the publication: Interview
Published in: Creatio Fantastica #57
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Tolkien nadal inspiruje badaczy
WITH BARBARA SZYMCZAK-MACIEJCZYK, Ph.D., KRZYSZTOF M. MAJ Ph.D.
Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand: That he met Tolkien, that he met with him at Oxford, that he corresponded with him, I had known for a long time, always. What I didn't know until organizing my father's papers was that there were more of these letters, that there were more letters preserved than the one short one that was and that I knew. That there were physically quite a few letters preserved, I discovered only after his death. It's hard to tell in what general emotional state one is in after the passing of someone close to one, in the midst of a thousand urgent matters to deal with. That's why I put off the correspondence, especially since it was difficult to decipher the otherwise beautiful writing. Before deciding to donate the letters to the Tolkien archive, I looked through them and realized that most were very difficult to read. Sometimes it turned out that the text referred to some letter that had been lost. Quite a few letters, however, after a long time arrived, although there was obvious intervention by the authorities: the correspondence was wrapped in foil with the information that the parcel had arrived unstuck. We always all joked about this in the family, my father even wanted to "them" some good quality glue.
Type of the publication: Interview
Published in: Creatio Fantastica #57
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Między Oksfordem a Mordorem
Animist realism, introduced by Harry Garuba in his article "Ben Okri: Animist Realism and the Famished Genre" is a relatively new term. Garuba links it to African literature, while others (Ato Quayson, Graham Harvey) use it in association with a broader spectrum of fiction. The main objective of this article is to redefine the category of animist realism as a subgenre of magical realism with its own connecting characteristics and its formal difference. Author of the article argues that animist realism is applicable especially to postcolonial and indigenous literature permeated with myths and other elements derived from traditional belief systems.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Rocznik Komparatystyczny #7
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Animist realism. Współczesne mitoznawstwo a komparatystyka literacka
The collective book Paths of Writers is an interesting example of today's developing research in the field of geopoetics, or more precisely geo-bio-poetics, as the studies included in it deal with the relationship of writers with cities. Among the included sketches, one can distinguish those in which the authors reconstruct the "urban" experience of writers, and others that take up the subject of literary performance of the image of the city, as a real space, graspable intersubjectively, but also symbolic, reflecting the subjective attitude of individual authors. [... ] One of the fascinating motifs of modernity is the peculiar heterotopia of our cities - in the view of different artists, the same cities turn out to be dissimilar, as if the writer's self-creation was a parallel process of re-constituting a long-established and - seemingly! - well known. The sketches in the book Paths of Writers are also a good illustration of this phenomenon.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: Miasto jako przestrzeń twórców, 2015 (pp.29-43)
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: UFO nad pasieką ruin. Warszawa Tadeusza Konwickiego
This short article argues for a redefinition of comparative literature that acknowledges the complexities and diversities of global cultural interactions. The author proposes a methodological shift that moves beyond traditional Eurocentric frameworks, incorporating a broader spectrum of literary traditions from across the world. This approach emphasizes the need for a more inclusive comparatist practice that respects and integrates non-Western literary narratives and theories, thereby enriching the academic discourse and reflecting the interconnectedness of the contemporary world. The article advocates for an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural methodology that addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by globalization in the literary field.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: Nauka prowadzi w przyszłość, 2014 (pp.35-37)
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Nowa komparatystyka w wielokulturowym świecie
The conversation features Malwina Mus and Anna Grochowska discussing the eccentric online activities of Michał Witkowski. It highlights Witkowski’s Facebook personas and their reflections on modern celebrity culture, juxtaposing them against his literary identity. The dialogue delves into how Witkowski’s flamboyant and ironic self-presentation on social media serves as both a societal critique and an artistic expression, exploring themes of identity, public perception, and the boundaries between personal and public life in the digital age. The discussion also considers the impact of such a portrayal on readers and society.
Type of the publication: Discussion
Published in: HA!ART #2/2014
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Drugie wyjście z szafy. Michała Witkowskiego facebookowa aktywność
This article is a draft concerning the issue of names and naming in the novel Song of Solomon, written by African American writer, Toni Morrison. The most of its attention is paid to the language, various narrative perspectives and the transgression between different traditions. These subjects are important to Morrison, what she strongly emphasized in her other novels, and also in her Nobel Prize lecture.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: Typograficzne przestrzenie tekstu, 2014 (pp.173-184)
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: „Noted down and remembered”. Imiona i nazywanie w powieści Toni Morrison "Song of Solomon"
The article is an attempt to draw attention to the issue of kitschiness in the novel "Underground River, Underground Birds" by Tadeusz Konwicki, released in 1984 in the underground “second circulation”. The issue of “playing with kitsch”, which had been taken up by the author of "A Minor Apocalypse" before, concerns the problem of patriotic or national kitsch and is one of the main topics of this text, relatively rarely analyzed by critics. The author shows that the "Underground River…" not only constitutes a critical approach of the author of Bohin Manor to the literature of his time but also to the very period of decline of Communist Poland with its “kitsch potential”, and continues Konwicki’s reflection regarding the problem of Polishness and the Polish national heritage, the beginnings of which can already be noticed in an earlier novel by this author, "The Polish Complex".
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Konteksty Kultury #10 1-2
Language of the publication: Polish
Flying Africans. The Shaping of Afro-American Identity and the New Religious Movements in America — The article attempts to examine the roots of the myth of Flying Americans and the way it is connected with the shaping of cultural identity of Afro-Americans within the formation of new religious movements in America. The significance of this narrative cannot be separated from the traumatic situation which generated it, hence the importance of its roots. The reference to the ethno-historical reality and the general outline of the slaves’ beliefs throughout the time, allows one to trace back the original area of its occurrence.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Kultura - Historia - Globalizacja #14
Language of the publication: Polish
The article is a study on the figure of Lazarus of Bethany in the poetic cycle The Jesus Papers written by American poet Anne Sexton, known in Poland mainly due to the selection of love poems entitled "Loving the Killer". Honored in 1967 with the Pulitzer Prize Sexton is primarily regarded as a representative of American confession poetry, but the poetic series The Jesus Papers and her following book Transformations proves that Sexton’s creativity goes far beyond this distinction towards a critical reflection on narratives and figures which continue to organize the contemporary imagination. In Jesus summons forth, a poem from The Jesus Papers these figures are Christ and Lazarus and this article is focused on how they function and how are they related in this poetry.
Type of the publication: Article
Published in: Zeszyty Naukowe Towarzystwa Doktorantów Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego #1/2013
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: Łazarz wskrzeszony w poezji Anne Sexton. Studium motywu
The paper examines Tadeusz Konwicki's Underground River, Underground Birds, a novel set during the martial law in Poland from December 12, 1981. The protagonist, Siódmy, arries manuscripts of (not very good) second-circuit poetry through a bleak, wintry Warsaw. Konwicki employs a mix of surreal and grotesque elements, blending dream-like sequences with stark reality to accentuate the disillusionment of the era. The shifting narrative perspectives between first and third person deepen the narrative’s sense of disorientation and introspection, providing a complex, ironic critique of Poland's political and cultural landscape during a tumultuous period. This paper illustrates how Konwicki's intricate narrative structure and his blending of real and allegorical dimensions not only capture a critical historical moment but also contribute significantly to Polish literature by critically and ironically reflecting on themes of resilience and identity in the face of oppression.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: Zanurzeni w historii - zanurzeni w kulturze : literatura czasów PRL-u o PRL-u, 2011
Language of the publication: Polish
In "Dreams and Stones" by Magdalena Tulli, the narrative explores the boundaries between literature and myth, presenting a unique interplay of cosmogonic motifs and historical events. This study examines how Tulli incorporates elements of the creation myth to frame the act of city-building, specifically drawing parallels with the post-World War II reconstruction of Warsaw. The novel utilizes a poetic and philosophical approach to discuss the cyclic nature of destruction and rebirth, both in a mythical and a concrete urban context. This paper explores "Dreams and Stones" by Magdalena Tulli, examining its narrative techniques and thematic elements and places Tulli's work at a significant intersection of literature and myth, revealing the potent capability of literary creation to encapsulate and reframe collective memories and myths within modern narrative structures.
Type of the publication: Chapter
Published in: Granice i Pogranicza w Humanistyce, 2011 (pp 125-134)
Language of the publication: Polish
Link to the publication: "Sny i kamienie" Magdaleny Tulli na pograniczu literatury i mitu
