Inny zapis : "sekretny dziennik" pisarza jako przedmiot badań socjologicznych : na przykładzie "Dzienników" Stefana Kisielewskiego

Abstract

The book, construed as an empirical study from the field of sociology of literature, proposes “a socio-literary analysis of a specific personal document” (Z. Bokszański), that is a writer’s “secret diary”. The subject of interest here is a more or less regularly written diary (not a journal or a memoir) kept by a writer (hence the lack of better and more objective criteria, it is assumed that he is a member of the Polish Writers’ Association and an author of fictional texts whose diary was published posthumously in unedited form). The volume, apart form the Preface and Introduction, which contain an attempt to define the nature and scope of problems dealt with in the work, consists of five chapters. The first chapter entitled The sociology of literature – a slightly different sociology, presents and characterizes the eponymous field of study – a specific sub-discipline positioned between sociology and literary studies, whereas the very issue was discussed in a broader context, reflecting on the meaning of untypical (non-standard) sociological data in general, not only the ones directly connected to literature. The second chapter, A secret diary – between a journal and literature (a sociology and a writer’s secret diary), clarifies the meaning of a “secret diary” as an object of sociological studies, as well as characterizes relationship between the secret diary record and records of the similar kind, in particular, that of memoirs (the memories written down after a long period of time). The very chapter also deals with the issue of the honesty of records the author of which does not (for various reasons) decide to publish, be it in the press or as a book. Also, the issue of a timespan of the posthumous publication of a secret diary is important for reception. The third chapter, A methodological note, is devoted to the issue of representativity (in the perspective a writer’s secret diary deserves) and to the rules of interpretation vital while analyzing this peculiar kind of literature or a personal document. The chapter in question discusses the problem of text interpretation in social sciences and philosophy in a much broader manner. The following chapter, Kisiel and his diaries (between a popular and official one), briefly presents a profile, path of life and social position of Stefan Kisielewski and justifies the choice of his diary records as an object of sociological studies, as well as presents the issue of the tempestuous reception of the Diaries. The subsequent chapter, in a much shortened way, is devoted to the characteristics of anti-Semitism as a, to quote Kisiel himself, “unique issue”. It constitutes a kind of introduction to a larger part of the dissertation, which presents and analyses the Jewish and anti-Semitism questions in the context of March 1968 and the following events during which the records of Kisiel were created. Specifically, Kisiel’s attitude to racism, philo- and anti-Semitism, Polish anti-Semitism of 1968, Israel and Zionism, Polish nationalism, and last but not least, the issue of involvement of the Jews and Poles of Jewish origin in Marxism, communism and Marxist revisionism were described.