"Pan Lodowego Ogrodu" Jarosława Grzędowicza, czyli o (nie)możliwości utopii
"The Lord of the Ice Garden" by Jarosław Grzędowicz: An Argument on the Impossibility of Utopia

Author(s): Anita Całek
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Ośrodek Badawczy Facta Ficta
Keywords: fantasy;science fantasy;utopia;utopia and dystopia;utopian studies;allotopia;Jarosław Grzędowicz;Pan Lodowego Ogrodu
Summary/Abstract: The chapter by Anita Całek makes illustrative attempts to demonstrate how the literary utopia has shaped Jaroslaw Grzedowicz’s novel, "The Lord of the Ice Garden", and why this utopia is created in the context of its primary meaning—a “non-place”. An analysis of the dystopian features of the four countries; The Ice Garden, The Garden of Earthly Delights, The Amitraj and the Valley of the Lady of Sorrows, delves into their subversive nature towards the utopian intentions of their authors. Without exhausting the material of analysis, the ease of world-building is further revealed. An unlikely candidate-world for a utopia-in-the-making is the isolated planet, Midgaard, which happens to be subjected to quarantine by terrestrials. This planet can not only make the realization of any dreams possible but is also adaptable to new paradigms. These planetary characteristics create a utopian impulse amongst the scientists working on the research station. These scientists must tread carefully because they are well aware that they do not know under whose influence they are operating nor who the important movers and shakers of this planet really are.

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