The sketch is a comparative analysis of two novels on World War I: Salt of the Earth by Józef Wittlin and The First Man by Albert Camus. The author does not limit herself to analyze the depiction of war, but she treats the subject matter of war as a general context within which both writers examine the phenomenon of human anonymity against a wide background of historical events, as is also done in a narrower context of the issues of self-determination and self-cognition. Such focus allows to make a synthesis of personal and historical threads of both novels and to shed light on a range of internal consistencies decisive to the multidimensional character of the thematic structure of Salt of the Earth and The First Man. The author bases her comparison of Salt of the Earth and The First Man on the analysis of anonymity of both protagonists. The facts decisive to the specifi c character of this anonymity are: low social class, illiteracy, as well as, typically for citizens of ethnically diverse monarchies and for emigrants, an inability to identify oneself with the patriotic war ideology. Threads of social and political anonymity of the heroes intertwine with threads of anonymity of those who participate in a war, which makes the idea of the Unknown Soldier deepened by the idea of a man unknown not only at war but during peacetime.

The paper analyses the plot patterns particular to the settler literature, dealing with the processes of settlement of the so-called Recovered Territories, annexed to Poland after 1945 in the aftermath of the Yalta Conference. For this analysis, Northrop Frye’s concept of plot patterns was applied. In the narratives under discussion, plot is usually organized by an ascending movement intended to correspond to positive transformations of the so-called Recovered Territories and improvement of the settlers’ situation. This is the case with novels by Eugeniusz Paukszta. The article also shows deviations from this principle, as introduced, among others, by Henryk Panas and Józef Hen. Transformation of the plot pattern customarily used in settler novels performs a demythologizing function and unmasks the negative aspects of the “resettlement epic”.

The article aims on presenting Adam Zagajewski’s model of describing and perceiving city and life space as well as its role in human’s life. Mostly discussed is the city of author’s childhood – Gliwice. To analyze the important role of city from the past in the writer’s life and experience of building identity author of this article use categories of topographical turn in combine with post memory statements. The last but not least point of this short consideration is to introduce another perspective of Adam Zagajewski’s essays – identity of modern flâneur.

The author of the sketch reads the Diary as a work behind the origin of which there is a sense of disappearance of life in the passing time, typical for Mieczysław Jastrun. In the context, the diary – filled, among others, with a register of small, everyday activities – seems to be a record through which Jastrun attempts to defy the nothingness and preserve his individual existence. The recording of everyday life is, however, not enough to fulfill this task on its own. Formulating remarks on Jastrun’s attempts to record his own existence and consciousness, the author references a text by Georges Gusdorf, in which the French philosopher discusses the goals and assumptions of autobiography, such as: creation of a coherent outline of one’s fortunes, interpretation and understanding of events and experiences of life, discovery of the truth of one’s own personality. Smuga światła [Streak of Light] is surely such a record. The uniqueness of individual consciousness is, however, expressed most fully in Jastrun’s metaphorical images, found not  only in his poetry but also in the Diary and the Streak of Light. The author of the sketch, referencing and juxtaposing specific fragments of Jastrun’s poems, autobiography and diary, reads the meanings and connotations of one of these images – a beautiful woman entering a house – simultaneously showing the coherence of the subject’s  imagination and sensitivity. Tracking of these distinctive images in the poet’s works and decyphering of their meanings resembles exploration of a “self” having a specific identity included in the texts. These images encompass an interpretation of the subject’s existence, express its distinctive metaphysical convictions, whereas their repeatability and permanency constitute the subject’s identity, preserving its existence in the volatile time.

The text attempts to read Barbara Radziwiłłówna z Jaworzna-Szczakowej by Michał Witkowski in the context of the post-modern conviction on the exhaustion of creative capabilities of literature. To this effect, it references both theories contributing to the paradigm of postmodernism, including Francis Lyotard’s “collapse of grand narratives”, and concepts directly referencing the literary output, such as “the literature of exhaustion”, “banalism” or “spoiled literature”. The article examines how these decadent tendencies have affected the construction of individual segments of the novel; beginning from sentences, through plot and the protagonist, to the message of the work. A key aspect seems to be (in accordance with John Barth’s postulate) an attempt to “feed” on what is considered to be “burnt-out”. Witkowski deliberately emphasizes elements considered to be the most worn out. He carries ultimate forms to the extreme. By creating their negatives (e.g. a negative of plot, sentence, message), the author manages to get – at least partially – outside the thematized exhaustion.

The article “(…) for I am still able to scatter and collect myself”. On the poetry of Roman Honet is not a compilation of texts written so far on the output of the author of piąte królestwo. Neither is it an attempt at general analysis of his poetry. In this poetry, a significant motif (since the collection „serce”) is loss – it is a point of departure to take up considerations and show how it functions in the poetry of Roman Honet. The author of the sketch focuses mainly on three poem collections: „serce”, baw się… and piąte królestwo. These are author interpretations.

The article examines the manifestations of William Shakespeare’s output in the American musical, both theatrical and cinematic. The author shows that almost since its very beginning, these stage forms have drawn inspiration from the famous Bard’s dramas and comedies. Using the examples of musicals inspired by his works, such as The Boys from Syracuse (1938), Swingin’ the Dream (1939), Kiss Me Kate (1953) and West Side Story (1957), the article analyzes the reasons why the subject matter undertaken by Shakespeare proves to be universal and remains relevant, thus constituting an inexhaustible source of inspiration for American authors of musicals. The author describes the manners of drawing from Shakespeare’s works, as well as forms of development and adjustment of his plays to the convention of musical.

The article deals with the topic of contestation in hip-hop songs. The author goes through historical sources that have created hip-hop and notices that this subculture has been built upon cultural tradition of contestation. This fact allows to include hip-hop in a wider aspect. The analysis of selected examples shows how the subculture in question creates the image and the concept of power. The author observes that the hip-hop subject defines social reality as a cause of imprisonment. The study of rappers’ textual self-creations allows to deduce that they claim to know the only path to freedom. As a result, hip-hop culture is constructed around the dichotomy, exemplified in a division into “us” and “them”. The author detects that hip-hop songs use propaganda language and war stylizations, thus they foreshadow and fight for a total reformation of power scheme.

Review: Edward Fiała, Abraham w polskiej prozie biblijnej, Wydawnictwo KUL, Lublin 2012, ss. 272