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AnnaMarkowska,ReginaKulig-Posłuszny
Wstęp
Summary
Towardsanother,multiculturaltradition
TheplotsofthefollowingnovelsbyPolishauthorsdescribethemulti-layered
historyofpre-warGermanDantzigwhichbecamepost-warPolishGdansk:
WeiserDawidek(1987)byPawełHuelle(Englishtranslation:WhowasDavid
Weiser?,1991)andHanemann(1995)byStefanChwin(Englishtranslation:
DeathinDanzig,2004).OtherPolishliteraryworksthatdepictthephenom-
enonofacceptingandtransformingthelocalGermanculturalheritagein-
cludenovelsthatwerewrittenonlyafterthedismantlingoftheironcurtain:
byOlgaTokarczuk(i.a.E)E)from1995;Domdzienny,domnocnyfrom1998,
Englishtranslation:HouseofDay,HouseofNight,from2002),byIngaIwasiów
(Bambino,from2008)andbyMarekKrajewski(thecycleofdetectivestories,
from1999).TokarczukdescribesLowerSilesiaalongwithitscomplexpast,
Krajewskitacklespre-warBreslau,thecapitalcityoftheregionwhileIwasiów
portraysStettinandSzczecin.Borussia)Ziemiailudzie[Borussia.Landand
people]isinturnauniqueanthologyoftextsbyformeriPrussians!(Borussia
istheLatinnameforPrussia),editedbyKazimierzBrakoniecki,aPolishwriter,
andWinfriedLipscher,aGermantheologianandtranslator.Fromtheendof
the1980s,Polishliteraturebegantoexplorethoroughlywhathadpreviously
beenerasedforpoliticalreasons.Theso-calledRecoveredTerritoriesslowly
gainedtheirsubjectivity,agencyanditsuniquehistorybeganatlasttobe
describedwithoutcensorship.Wasitthenacoincidencethatinthe1980s
GdanskandWrocław,formerGermanDantzigandBreslau,werethecities
attheforefrontofsocialdiscordwiththeauthoritiesandarevolutionagainst
Sovietrule?Althoughitisobviouslydifficulttoanswerthisquestion,both
GdanskandWrocławwerereborninthe80!sthankstotheirvividcounter-cul-
turemovement.
Thecurrent,secondvolumeofPolishArtintheWesternandNorthern
Territoriesdealswiththeso-calledRegainedTerritoriesintheyearsfrom1981
tillthepresent(thefirstvolumePolishArtintheWesternandNorthernTerritories
from1945to1981,editedbyAnnaMarkowskaandZofiaReznikwaspublished
iniPamiętnikSztukPięknych!,2016,No.11).Thecaesuraof1981resultsnot
onlyfromthelargeamountofmaterial(acquiredthankstoconferencesor-
ganizedbytheUniversityofWrocławandthePolishInstituteofWorldArt
Studies)thathadtobesomehowdivided,butalsofromtheimportanceof
socialchangeaftertheimpositionofmartiallaw.After1981,theconsensus
ofPolishpeoplewiththeCommunistauthoritiescollapsedirretrievably.It
wasnecessarytoinventanewfutureandtoconstructanewpastthatsuited
it.Thisvolumetacklestheproblemoftheunwantedpast;notonlydidthe
formerGermanheritageenterthescenebutalsothesocialistandmodernist
Polishtraditionbegantobecontemptuouslyrejected.Moreover,onlyafterthe
declineofCommunismwasitpossibletocherishthetraditionsandcultureof
theEasternBorderlands(nearlyhalfoftheterritoryofthePolishstateinthe
mid-wartimes,incorporatedafter1945totheUSSR)andtocommemorate
thepeoplewhoperishedthere.Sothisvolumeisalsoaboutchangingthe
pastandrecoveringmemory.
Afterdismantlingtheironcurtainandthepoliticalshiftof1989,inthe
nameofhealingthepublicspace,manyuninterestingandgloomymonuments
praisingtheallegedfriendshipwiththeUSRRweredestroyed.Unfortunately
however,manyvaluablemodernistbuildingsandmonumentswerealsode-
molishedinthisrevolutionaryimpetus.Ourpresentdaymightbeseenatthe
sametimeasasuccessfulachievementandaresultofthenegativeside-effects
oftransformation.RestoringdemocracyafteryearsofUSSRdominationis
alongandpainfulprocess,butartdoesnotnecessarilydevelopinaccord-
ancewithpoliticalbreakthroughs.Furthermore,cantheinhabitantsofthe
RecoveredTerritoriesreallyboasteventodayofaslightlydifferentculture
thantherestofthecountry?
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