Abstrakt: | The book is the result of a conviction that the already-existent historio- literary
syntheses of the Interwar Period do not pay enough attention to the contribution
of Young Poland writers to the process of shaping the image of the
literature between 1914 and 1939. Thus, it discusses the war vicissitudes of the
older generation writers, their political choices and engagements, different
forms of the position defense by Young Poles among the literary elite, and the
relations between the young generation and the older one. The latter had their
own connections, readers, and, more than once, fame and thus were a competition
and challenge for the former ones. Also, they were masters the representatives
of the youngest generation wanted to acquaint with. In other words,
I want to look at the Interwar literature from the perspective of the achievements
of Young Poland writers, and a reader who admired Żeromski, Sieroszewski
or Boy-Żeleński though did not know Witkacy, Schulz or Gombrowicz.
My intention to describe the Interwar literature in a different manner is polemic
too. First, the advocates of the modern literature appropriate great writers
of the 19th and 20th centuries, displacing others (Żeromski, Reymont,
Kasprowicz, Tetmajer, Wyspiański) into the depths of the old-fashioned 19th century
literature. This is an act of a re-composition of the historio-literary process.
Interesting ad cognitively-frutile though the very treatment is, the
exclusiveness of such a behaviour in the Polish literary studies has been accused
of following the fashion in recent years. Secondly, the Young Poland
works function in the historio-literary syntheses of the Interwar Period in a peculiar
way; as unwanted, ignored and condemned, as accidentally appearing in
the space filled in by modern forms of culture. Here, the most important arguments
were carried on with respect to Przedwiośnie, the most popular book was
Słówka by Boy-Żeleński, the best drama was Niespodzianka by Rostworowski,
and, even, in poetry, it was “Young Poland that trumphed” in the form of works
by Leśmian.
The work is completed with two texts representing the mutual relations between
Żeromski and Brzozowski, a sensitive writer and critic. A confrontation of
two such strong characters had to evoke a storm. I attempt to describe the history
of this literary dialogue full of tension, but also mutual respect. The second text included in the Appendix is devoted to critical analyses Karol
Irzykowski made with respect to the works by Żeromski. It turns out that the
critical drafts would create an impressive (and outstanding) book commenting
on the literary output of the author of Popioły. The last chapter describes the
way Karol Irzykowski, one of the most outstanding Polish literary critics, understood
and interpreted works by Żeromski. |