Różowe, czerwone. O wybiórczości polskiej recepcji dzieła Adrienne Rich
Red and Pink. The Politics of Exclusion in the Polish Reception of Adrienne Rich’s Writing

Author(s): Marta Koronkiewicz
Subject(s): Studies of Literature, Translation Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: Adrienne Rich; poetry; feminism; appropriation
Summary/Abstract: The essay offers a critical analysis of various tensions and tendencies in the Polish reception of the poetry of Adrienne Rich. In Poland, Rich is known chiefly as a feminist rather than a Marxist writer, and the focus remains on her very early identity-focused poems from the 1970s. From the 90s onwards, Rich has famously distanced herself from her early work, advocating instead for a more radical, universalist and anticapitalist approach to the poetic form. The fact that this shift is almost completely absent from her Polish reception can be seen as a result of a long-term process of political appropriation - those responsible for promoting Rich's work are interested in weaponising her for the purposes of an identity-driven movement. Thus Polish readers get access to a picture that's as incomplete as it is misleading; and yet on the other hand, this also allows us some insight into the political and ideological reasons behind the work of translators, critics and activists responsible for introducing Rich to the Polish audience.

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