Z ZSRR do Polski. Uchodźcze losy Edwarda Balcerzana

Edward Balerzan’s poetry volume "Domysły" (Guesses) (2024) includes a poem entitled "Uchodźca" (Refugee). The poet, novelist and renown literary scholar, highly sensitive to meaning, had rarely resorted to using this particular word by that time. As someone with first-hand experience of forced migration from Vovchansk in 1946, he is acutely aware of the “etymology of stigma” carried by the word (and legal term) “refugee”. In his autobiographical stories, poetry, and scholarly reflections, he poses questions about the aspects of the refugee experience that are individual, as well as those that are universal. I present Balcerzan’s life vicissitudes as a refugee against the background of geopolitical changes taking place in the USSR in the first half of the 20th century and a general reflection on the status and the very concept of a refugee. I also discuss the advantages and potential pitfalls of considering Balcerzan’s writing in the context of works by other authors “born in the USSR” as well as specific points where his account of the experience aligns or diverges from those provided by other authors.

Tytuł dokumentu	Typ	Rozmiar
porownania.38.14.RYGIELSKA	[pdf]	[242 KB]