The Duty of Memory, the Duty of Truth: Grzegorz Kwiatkowski Karl-Heinz M. Cover Image

Obowiązek pamięci, obowiązek prawdy – Grzegorz Kwiatkowski Karl-Heinz M.
The Duty of Memory, the Duty of Truth: Grzegorz Kwiatkowski Karl-Heinz M.

Author(s): Alicja Jakubowska-Ożóg
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature
Published by: Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II
Keywords: Grzegorz Kwiatkowski; Holocaust; memory; testimony; silence; focused poem

Summary/Abstract: The focus of analysis in this article are poems from the collection by Grzegorz Kwiatkowski Karl-Heinz M., published in 2019. The poet returns here to the topics of extermination, death, and responsibility. The main characters in the poems, similar to those earlier collections, are not only the victims of Nazi crimes, but also the perpetrators. The author uses snatches of memories, referemces to documents, and invokes fragments of victims’ and perpetrators’ testimonies. What is interesting in these poetic representations is the form of the building of images, the use of abbreviations, and the compression of meanings. The manner of illustration in these poems evokes texts by Edgar Lee Masters, especially Spoon River Anthology (into Polish translated as Umarli ze Spoon River), as well as the book by Georges Didi-Huberman Images in Spite of All: Four Photographs from Auschwitz (Fr. Images malgré tout, 2004).

  • Issue Year: 71/2023
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 71-81
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: Polish
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