Straty i korzyści. O wojennej odysei Gałczyńskiego

Abstract

The wartime fate of Gałczyński became a legend, particularly due to the fact that he avoided memories from that period. 'Notatnik' (Notebook), published in 2002, reveals his experiences, thus encouraging a search for their role in the author's biogra phy. His wartime works clearly show traces of a vagabond and tourist attitude placed by Bauman among postmodern role models that correspond to Augé's figures of obliv ion contrasting with remembrance. The figures include: return, suspension and b ginning. They can be found in Galczyňski's works, whereby the first two appear in his lyric poetry and notes from a concentration camp and the third one - in post-war poetry. Whereas the figure ofreturn matches the attitude of a homeless vagabond, the less pronounced figure ofsuspension corresponds to the tourist attitude. The findings of Augé and Bauman proved useful when reflecting on literary trails of Galczyhski's wartime and post-war wandering as well as a balance of the author's gains and losses. Having lost space and direct contact with his family, the poet matured thanks to the encountered individuals - he achieved painful self-discovery.