Regaining the Lost City? Polish Lviv in the Ukrainian Perspective Cover Image

Odzyskiwanie miasta utraconego? Polski Lwów z perspektywy ukraińskiej
Regaining the Lost City? Polish Lviv in the Ukrainian Perspective

Author(s): Katarzyna Kotyńska
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: kultura polska; kultura ukraińska; Kresy; Lwów Polish culture; Ukrainian culture; Kresy (the Eastern Borderlands); Lviv

Summary/Abstract: The Polish reader is acquainted with the Polish image of Lviv that is: nostalgic, based on memories, emphasizing the loyalty of the city towards the Republic of Poland. In most cases, it ignores or marginalizes the current Ukrainian point of view. Yet, the Ukrainians who also consider Lviv their own city, who have created their own image of it, their own mythology and a specific Lviv narration, have been forced to confront them with Polish imagery. They transform it, selecting some elements, argue with it, or create their own alternative narration. Historical figures and events are treated in different ways, yet some common mechanisms are also traceable. The article discusses these transformations and polemics with reference to selected literary and non-literary texts.

  • Issue Year: 2008
  • Issue No: 55
  • Page Range: 157-164
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Polish