„Biała pani przeszła znów przez salon!...” Duchy, czarownice i demony w twórczości poetyckiej Marii Pawlikowskiej-Jasnorzewskiej
“White Lady passed the salon again!...” Ghosts, Witches and Demons in Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska’s Poetry

Summary/Abstract: The article aims at discussing the motive of extra-terrestrial creature presence (devils, witches, ghosts) in the poems by the most outstanding poetess of the inter-war period. Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska showed her interest in magic and seances as early as in her childhood, which was attested primarily in her 1929–1930 collections of poems: "Paryż" ("Paris") (especially the cycle "Duchy" <"Ghosts">) and "Profil białej damy" ("A Profile of White Lady"). The paper points at some elements which prove the poetess’ fascination, namely titles of collections and single poems ("Różowa magia" <"Pink Magic">, "Rada pani Girard, czarownicy" <"The Advice of Mme Girard, a Witch">), poems that reflect experience of a forlorn poetess ("Czarownicy Paryża" <"The Magicians of Paris">) or such poems which mirror her acquaintance with books that touch demonological problems ("Historia o czarownicach" <"A Tale of Three Witches">), and ultimately–poems which bring the problem of gentle spiritism and spinning around the theme of necessity of love ("Nieudany Seans" <"An Unsuccessful Seance">). Ghosts, demons and witches in Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska’s take various shapes each of which, as the author of the paper maintains, deserves better recognition.

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