Dwa obrazy Aszkenazyjczyka — o wątkach żydowskich w Pierwszej polce Horsta Bienka i Opowiadaniach odeskich Izaaka Babla
Two images of Ashkenazi — on Jewish themes in Horst Bienek’s The First Polka and The Odessa Tales by Isaac Babel

Summary/Abstract: The article reconsiders the problem of the character of I. Babel’s laughter and leads to the conclusion about its complex dynamic nature. Particularly, its belonging to the carnival culture is being questioned. On the basis of a few texts the transition is observed from the carnival consciousness to the historical tragic bewilderment and to the possibilistic thinking.The figures of Ashkenazi Jews appear in works representing various cultural backgrounds. A very interesting light on the literary way of shaping their image is shed by the characters of works that are very culturally and thematically distant from each other: The First Polka by Horst Bienek and The Odessa Tales by Isaac Babel. Georg Montag and Benia Krik represent two different approaches to the question of the existence of the Jewish nation, its coexistence with representatives of the dominant culture and the preservation of identity. Thanks to the analysis, one can observe not only numerous assimilation crises, but also the characteristics of the described cultural and social norms.

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