Podróże Jarosława Iwaszkiewicza w kontekście etnokulturowym (dyskurs polsko-rosyjski). Na materiale „Dzienników” pisarza

Travels were an important part of Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz’s life. One of the destinations he chose was the Soviet Union. These trips were usually of an official character, and less often – private. The writer meticulously noted down his impressions in his private Dzienniki [Diaries], and sometimes shared them with the Polish reader in columns and newspaper articles. The author of Panny z Wilka [The Maids from Wilko] masterfully immortalised the realities prevailing in the Soviet Union. Iwaszkiewicz’s view of Russia, and St Petersburg in particular, is not the account of an ordinary tourist, because the writer perceived the world through the prism of literature, constantly confronting reality with literary images. This makes Dzienniki extremely interesting material for analysis. This article takes a journey across Russia, in the footsteps of Iwaszkiewicz, focuses on literary allusions, admiration of nature and architecture, and pays special attention to the absurdities of the communist state.

The Jovian Narrative

The Jovian Narrative is by far the longest of the three parts of the Julian Romance. It offers an exclusively Christian perspective on the reign of Jovian. This chapter discusses a variety of elements and characteristics of the Jovian Narrative with the purpose of analyzing the literary images of both Julian and Jovian sketched in the text. It deals with relations between the various protagonists in the text; the role of cities (Constantinople, Antioch, Harran, Nisibis, and Edessa) as scenes for the various episodes of the narrative; the anti-Jewish aspects of the text; Jovian’s rise to power and his peace treaty with the Persians; Jovian’s eastern connections and his good relations with Shapur II and his second-in-command Arimihr; and his presentation as a new Constantine.

Culturological Aspect of Russian Interpretation of Avar Literary Works (based On “My Daghestan” by R. Gamzatov)

The topic of this article is up-to-date due to the fact that the problems of adequate Russian interpretation of My Daghestan book by Rasul Gamzatov are not completely solved yet. Moreover, the urgency of further solvation of this problem is complicated by the fact that all translations of this book into other languages are done on the basis of its Russian version. Thus all the flops in the Russian interpretation are kept in the translations into other languages as well. The main objective of the article is to claim attention to the importance of original ethnic context for proper reflection of the cultural peculiarities. The source for research is taken from My Daghestan book by R. Gamzatov in the original (Avar), as well as from its Russian interpretation done by V. Soloukhin. The main approach in the research is the method of comparative analysis of the original text and its interpretation. The given research results in the conclusion that lack of ethnic cultural knowledge of the Avar language world picture as well as the differences between ethnic and cultural values led to some certain mistakes in Russian interpretation of the text. In some cases the interpreter doesnt perform literary images corresponding to the original and to Daghestan mentality, instead leading to lack of original artistic and emotional impressions in the translation. The interpreter has also some difficulties with transmission of the original text by Rasul Gamzatov from one linguistic and cultural sphere into other, not though on the reason that it is unknown, but because it is strange for him. We should admit that while interpreting the text it is inevitable for the interpreter to use some of his individual thinking. But the best adequate interpretation needs maximum keeping to the characteristic features of the original. The individualism of the interpreter must not interfere.

Krew i brud. Uwagi na temat estetyki oraz poetyki opisów śmierci w cyklu o wiedźminie Andrzeja Sapkowskiego

Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series is the first Polish fantasy series that has gained so much popularity. When Sapkowski published his first story — The Witcher — in 1986, fantasy literature wasn’t well-known in Poland. In fact Polish readers, who were interested in fantasy, would mainly know John R.R. Tolkien’s novels like The Hobbit, Or Thete and Back Again, The Lord of the Rings or Silmarillion, all belonging to mythopoeic fantasy. Sapkowski’s story was vastly different from them, because the Polish author referred to sword and sorcery literature, which at that time was little-known in Poland. He created an interesting protagonist and a dark, vicious world, full of violence and graphic descriptions of death. It appears that one of the main factors having an influence on the huge popularity of the series, may be the attempt to shock the reader by using a unique construction of the presented world, which contains a lot of graphic violent imagery. This article presents those methods of description of death and violence in The Witcher series to present why they are so interesting to the readers and what makes them stand out from the rest of similar descriptions in Polish fantasy literature. The analysis is divided into several parts. The first part presents the influence of Sapkowski’s debut story on Polish fantasy literature. The second part contains the analysis of the dynamics of descriptions of death. The third and the fourth focus on showing the individualisation of death in The Witcher series and on detail exposure. The next part presents the narrative treatments used by Sapkowski to increase the impact of the literary images of death, for example changes of a narrative perspective. The last part of the article presents naturalistic elements of the descriptions and explains what functions they perform in the text.

Ernst Jünger and his Reception of Fyodor Dostoevsky

This contribution aims to present those aspects of the literary and intellectual legacy of F. M. Dostoevsky (1821–1881) that motivated Ernst Jünger (1895–1998) in formulating his own literary and essayistic work. Dostoevsky’s impact on Jünger has so far been researched only fragmentarily and sporadically. This builds on previous research and complements it with new findings. Ernst Jünger inquired into Dostoevsky’s works throughout his life. He perceived Dostoevsky as a foreteller of crises and disasters. Many of Jünger’s motifs, literary images, characters, and symbols were either influenced by or borrowed from Dostoevsky and developed further. Of great importance to Jünger are such phenomena as power, evil or misery, and pain. Dostoevsky also shaped Jünger’s approach to nihilism.

“NO M’ESTIMIS MASSA; ESTIMA’M SÀVIAMENT”: LA CONSTRUCCIÓ LITERÀRIA DE LA IDENTITAT MONSTRUOSA DE BARCELONA

This article aims to analyze the process of literary construction of the “monstrous” identity of Barcelona. Specifically, it examines and contextualizes the literary images of the city-as-woman from the mid-nineteenth century until Francoism. The metaphor of Barcelona as a woman is articulated around two axes: the idealization of the city as a compliant and submissive woman, and its monsterification as a rebel woman. Both processes are inextricable and serve to justify (symbolically and literally) the political control of the city.

“Unfathomable Event of the Fatal Time” or the Russian theme in the novella “Vision” by in E. T. A. Hoffmann

The relevance of this research is defined by the scientific significance of the problem of Germany-Russia relations as an important factor of cross-cultural interaction. Dresden has imprinted hundreds of Russian names. This found reflection in the novel “Vision” by E. T. A. Hoffmannn, inspired by the experiences during his life in Dresden. The German romanticist appeared to be in the center of anti-Napoleonic War for a few month in 1813. Hoffmann also expressed his emotions in letters, diary notes, and publicistic texts. The “Unfathomable Event” of the novella “Vision” allowed avoiding unambiguity of explanation of the “fatal, difficult, and turbulent time”, as well as preserving the magic of the fantastic. It is noted that E. T. A. Hoffmann described in the novel and related texts the situations borrowed from life, reminiscences of the parlous Dresden days. At the same time, he highlighted the liberation mission of the Russian troops. Special attention is given to application of the so-called Serapiontic principle, which implies the transformation of reality in the consciousness of the imaginative nature. The novelty of this research consists in observation that the fantastic event described in the novel, turned Hoffmann into the “translator” of the meaning of feat of the Russian participants of the Liberation wars in the language of images. Such approach presented the peculiarities of development of the Russian theme and Russian literary images in the works of the German romanticist in the historical perspective.

Królewicz wśród królów. Portrety władców zachodnioeuropejskich w staropolskich relacjach z podróży Władysława Wazy (1624–1625)

The aim of the article is to analyse literary images of selected silhouettes from the travels of Prince Władysław Vasa to the countries of Western Europe in the years 1624-1625. The young Vasa’s train included future authors of peregrination reports: Stefan Pac – a writer, later treasurer and Grand Chancellor of Lithuania, Albrecht Stanisław Radziwiłł – Grand Chancellor of Lithuania, and Jan Hagenaw of Warmia. The silhouettes of Western European monarchs, presented in the context of specific events, were treated in a fragmentary way and included elements interesting to the author. On the other hand, the ways of presenting the Polish prince, according to the “promotional” strategy adopted by diarists, are aimed at showing the hero as an individual worthy of being “among kings”, capable – thanks to his skills – of finding his place in court structures.