Jacek Gutorow

This paper undertakes a critical examination of Czesław Miłosz’s negative
responses to contemporary art in general, and American modernist poetry in particular.
It focuses on Miłosz’s interpretations of Cézanne’s statements and Wallace Stevens’s
poems, and concludes that the Polish poet’s inability and unwillingness to appreciate
contemporary art results from his recognition and approval of mimetic representation
as the only strategy which guarantees rationality, certainty, a sense of metaphysical
hierarchy and which is informed by them. Quoted are Miłosz’s somewhat angry
reactions to the concepts of abstract, non-fi gurative art as well as his words of
admiration for the representational moment apparently inherent in both poetry and
painting. Parenthetically, the paper points to Miłosz’s repressed feelings of existential
and epistemological ambivalence, arguably the most valuable aspect of his work.
 

On translating Stevens (and more)
One of the major themes of Wallace Stevens’s poetry is untranslatability. Morever, his
work thrives on ambiguity which can never be resolved. Therefore, translating this
poetry becomes an inspiring challenge: Stevens’s translators need to respect multifariousness
and openness; they need to distrust closure. The fact that Polish reception of the
American poet is almost non-existent (apart from versions by J.M. Rymkiewicz, who
feels affi nity with the ‘classical’ Stevens, and by Cz. Miłosz) makes the task for Polish
translators even more demanding. However, the changes in the Polish poetry of the
last two decades – both when it comes to poetic language and poetry reception – may
assist Stevens’s translators in Poland. Especially promising looks poetic paraphrase
(Ezra Pound’s favourite mode of translation), as practised by Dariusz Foks, Andrzej
Sosnowski and Tadeusz Pióro.

MIŁOSZ: ON CIRCUIT
This paper undertakes a critical examination of Czesław Miłosz’s negative responses to contemporary art in general, and American modernist poetry in particular. It focuses on Miłosz’s interpretations of Cézanne’s statements and Wallace Stevens’s poems, and concludes that the Polish poet’s inability and unwillingness to appreciate contemporary art results from his recognition and approval of mimetic representation as the only strategy which guarantees rationality, certainty, a sense of metaphysical hierarchy and which is informed by them. Quoted are Miłosz’s somewhat angry reactions to the concepts of abstract, non-fi gurative art as well as his words of admiration for the representational moment apparently inherent in both poetry and painting. Parenthetically, the paper points to Miłosz’s repressed feelings of existential and epistemological ambivalence, arguably the most valuable aspect of his work.