Odessa w wierszach Petra Skrijki. Między mitem, muzyką a historią

Abstract

In his article, Michał Siedlecki interprets Petro Skrijka's (born in 1939) book of poems – a Ukrainian writer and scholar from Lemkos about a peasant origin currently living in Poland – entitled ´The winding road to Odessa´ (Cracow 2016). The researcher is primarily interested in the literary portrait of Odessa suspended lyrically by the poet between myth, music and modern history. Poetic immediacy and lyrical chagrin – clearly ironic self-portrayal of the writer in his book – are also appropriate for literary reflections of the artist about Odessa itself, a multicultural city, depicted in the writer's work through the prism of his internal, often over-emotional experiences from the borderline of reality and sleep. Skrijka's book is therefore a very important artistic contribution to the Polish-Ukrainian discourse of our time. It shows Odessa from the point of view of a Ukrainian who has lived in Poland for years – writing, after all, a beautiful Polish language about his beloved Ukrainian city.