The Image of the Enemy – Stanisław Sojczyński “Warszyc” in the Press, Literature and Cinematography of the Peolple’s Republic of Poland

Summary

The purpose of this article is to analyze how Stanisław Sojczyński “Warszyc”, one of the leaders of the anticommunist underground movement in postwar Poland who was captured and then killed, was portrayed within the official politics of memory by the People’s Republic of Poland. The author is mostly interested in the slow evolution of Sojczyński’s image from nothing more than a common “bandit” in the mid 40’s, to a partially acknowledged “patriot” twenty years later. The study shows that even though Sojczyński was consistently described as a major enemy of the communist state, some significant changes developed over time in the way that he was portrayed. This case study is based on detailed examination of materials such as press articles, novels and even a film, which all dealt with the story of Sojczyński and his troops. Aleida Assmann’s distinction between communicative and collective memory is employed as a main theoretical framework.   

The Image of the Enemy – Stanisław Sojczyński “Warszyc” in the Press, Literature and Cinematography of the Peolple’s Republic of Poland

Summary

The purpose of this article is to analyze how Stanisław Sojczyński “Warszyc”, one of the leaders of the anticommunist underground movement in postwar Poland who was captured and then killed, was portrayed within the official politics of memory by the People’s Republic of Poland. The author is mostly interested in the slow evolution of Sojczyński’s image from nothing more than a common “bandit” in the mid 40’s, to a partially acknowledged “patriot” twenty years later. The study shows that even though Sojczyński was consistently described as a major enemy of the communist state, some significant changes developed over time in the way that he was portrayed. This case study is based on detailed examination of materials such as press articles, novels and even a film, which all dealt with the story of Sojczyński and his troops. Aleida Assmann’s distinction between communicative and collective memory is employed as a main theoretical framework.