Poeci i ich zwierzęta
Poets and Their Animals

Summary/Abstract: Anita Jarzyna’s essays, collected in the book Post-koiné. Studia o nieantropocentrycznych językach (poetyckich) (Post-Koiné. Studies on Non-Anthropocentric (Poetic) Languages), contribute to the flourishing field of animal studies. Her work develops a coherent theory of the reading of poetry sing the latest methodologies. Jarzyna’s main argument, developed through a microscopic analysis of the the poems of several dozen poets, is for the necessity of the intentional reconfiguration of well-worn expressions and the re-evaluation of tropes. The reason for this is, as Donna Haraway argues, that such linguistic constructions and tropes are the reason the language “deviates from the correct path and takes a turn”. This remark applies not only to the works of Joanna Mueller and Justyna Bargielska, which intercept and neutralise derogatory language related to hunting (pomiot, pokot), but also to poets deconstructing oxymorons functioning in the Polish language (as in the case of Ryszard Krynicki), as well as allusively referring to canonical formulas (Adorno) which are of importance in the period (for example, in the poems of The Lives of Birds and Mammals, Kronhold). This is not the only strategy Jarzyna decides to pursue. She also outlines a complementary account of the animal biography (for example, Laika the dog, one of the first animals in space), the publicizing of which is part of Éric Baratay’s project of extending human history to non-human actors. The French historian postulates that the animal cannot remain a blank spot in history; a methodology for reading documents and testimonies must be developed in order to allow the reconstruction of the life path of animals. In the light of new research, the agency of animals is unquestionable, a narrative that Jarzyna also builds upon. This project criticizes many stereotypes and announces the development of a new way of speaking and thinking about writing. The first step in revising the old order is to revolutionize language by purifying it of animal-related curse words and other linguistic constructions that harm animals. In the eyes of this reviewer, Jarzyna’s monograph stands out from other publications in terms of the construction of the argument and its central premises, which go beyond the cautious style of many academic books.

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