Znikomek among other-beings. Analysis of the anatomy of Leśmian’s imagination Cover Image

Znikomek wśród innobytów. Przyczynek do anatomii Leśmianowskiej wyobraźni
Znikomek among other-beings. Analysis of the anatomy of Leśmian’s imagination

Author(s): Piotr Michałowski
Subject(s): Polish Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: Leśmian Bolesław;Polish poetry in the 21st century;bestiary;mythology;fantastic zoology;science fiction;contemporary literature;tradition of culture

Summary/Abstract: The article is an attempt to situate the world of peculiar creatures created in the ballads of Bolesław Leśmian with other bestiaries drawn from mythology and literary creations in the field of science fiction, fairy tales and grotesque, creativity for children and popular culture, by, for instance, Jorge Luis Borges, Stanisław Lem, Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, Maciej Wojtyszko. Against this background, the distinctiveness of Leśmian’s imagination makes us call it a fantastic ontology and references to the category of “other-beings”. Leśmian creates his characters in an anti-anthropocentric perspective as an alternative existence. Their appearance remains undetermined as the residual characteristics dispersed in the narrative focus primarily on their existence marginalized with regard to the real world. An overviewof the most important Leśmian creatures closes with a detailed interpretation of the ballad "Znikomek" from the collection "Napój cienisty" (Shadowy Drink).

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 7
  • Page Range: 177-193
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Polish
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