Polska niezwyciężona
Invincible Poland

Alternate Histories of the Second World War in the Polish Alternate Histories

Author(s): Magdalena Wąsowicz
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Comparative Study of Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Ośrodek Badawczy Facta Ficta
Keywords: counterfactuality;alternate history;counterfactal fiction;Polish counterfactual fiction;allohistory
Summary/Abstract: Magdalena Wąsowicz’s chapter provides an analysis of Polish novels that propose an alternate history to War War II. The author focuses on the way in which these novels change the course of history and reflect on current politics and culture. Three novels are analysed: "Wallenrod" by Marcin Wolski, "Powroty (Coming back)" by Adam Pietrasiewicz and Wojciech Bogaczyk, and "Burza. Ucieczka z Warszawy ‘40 (The Tempest. The Withdrawal from Warsaw ‘40)" by Maciej Parowski. The first two novels display similar sets of images relating to events in World War II and they both focus on the military aspects of the possible victory for Poland. In contrast, "Burza Ucieczka z Warszawy ‘40", demonstrates the power of the Polish spirit and the greatness of the culture of the Second Polish Republic. As a result, a utopian vision of Poland emerges—a vision which can now only be considered nostalgia. Maciej Parowski’s novel is thus a nostalgic retrospection of the perfect, lost world that can become a source of inspiration for future generations.

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