"Jak się miewasz Polaku w Polsce?". Aktualność pytania Witolda Wirpszy

Abstract

This paper refers to Witold Wirpsza’s book Pole, Who Are You? which is a multidimensional cultural analysis of the phenomenon of Polishness, showing the origins and results of national myths. It shows that the character of the Polish national community has been determined by the development of the standard/literary national language. On that basis the author shows a dilemma of an individual in community, with emphasis on ethical, spiritual and emotional values. Forty years after the book’s publication the question posed in the title continues to provoke discussions, despite different political and economic conditions. The question forces Poles to define their place and attitudes to the integration of Europe.