Anna Walczuk

The aim of the paper is to look at the relevance of Gilbert Keith Chesterton’s literary output for the present day discussion of the foundations and future prospects of Europe. Chesterton was wholeheartedly dedicated to the cause of Europe at the time where such commitment, especially in the Englishman, was a mark of eccentricity rather than a reflection of widespread tendencies. Looking for the roots of European identity Chesterton stresses the formative impetus coming from Greek, Roman and Christian traditions. Consequently he stresses the significance of such European values as democracy, reason and the fundamental worth of person. From the impressive body of his writing: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and journalism, Chesterton emerges as a steadfast glorifier of Europe. However, the outlines of Chesterton’s Europe are arbitrary for they do not correspond to any geographical or political criteria. Chesterton, the ardent debater, posits his own idealised version of Europe which he sets out to defend against various manifestations of ‘non-European’ barbarism. His intellectual exuberance make him an unfaltering supporter of the European cause who deserves to be rediscovered and newly appreciated in the turbulent world of the 21st century.

The collection of twelve scholarly essays Między słowem a rzeczy-wistością. Poezja Eliota wobec cielesności i Wcielenia focuses on the poetry of T.S. Eliot viewed from the perspective of its reflection on the nature of poetry and the poetic word, especially in their relation to the Word of God and the Incarnation as a dogma of the Christian faith and a reality of imaginative constructs embodied in Eliot’s poetry. The essays seek to discover ‘the Polish Eliot’, and they often refer to various Polish translations of Eliot’s poetry, drawing attention to their linguistic subtleties or a range of different meanings arising from sundry cultural contexts and diverse interpretations. The discussion of Eliot’s poetic output throws light on its religious component often neglected or underestimated in popular reception of his work. The essays successfully engage in a dialogue with philosophy and theology, thus uncovering before the reader the richness and depth of Eliot’s poetry. The book is an important contribution to the study of Eliot’s work as it provides many precious insights for the readers, critics and future translators of his poetry.