Obraz miasta i jego mieszkańców w Szarzyznach Wilna (1911) Władysława Gutowskiego

Abstract

Literary descriptions of Vilnius from a century ago, documenting the efforts to revive Polish culture in the city after 1905, still await the attention and assessment of literary historians, as well as scholars studying the press and local social and cultural life. Among such testimonies is the collection of short prose Szarzyzna Wilna (1911) by the local writer and journalist Władysław Gutowski (1870–1943). Gutowski’s sketches, based on his observations as a witness to the everyday life of townspeople and the city’s modernization, offer an engaging point of departure for revealing the panorama of the city of Gediminas in the light of political events, the radicalization of national relations, the artistic initiatives of the creators of the almanac Żórawce and various charitable undertakings. Gutowski, a Polish publicist, satirist, prose writer and playwright, published under the pseudonyms “On”, ”Tłuchowiec” and ”As”. Originally from the Masuria region (Tłuchowiec, Płock Land), he studied in Toruń and Warsaw, spent some time in Odessa and settled permanently in Vilnius in 1886. The collection Szarzyzny Wilna is an anthology of Gutowski’s journalism from 1906–1911, characterized by an interventionist tone. Even after more than a century, these sketches retain their documentary value. The social and moral themes of these texts correspond to the programme of National Democracy in Lithuania, while Gutowski’s postulates contribute to the organicist and socially engaged face of Vilnius positivism. On several issues – his sharp critique of the Krajowcy, Jews, Lithuanians, the shortcomings of the landed gentry and the role of religion in shaping patriotic attitudes – Gutowski articulated his own stance, often challenging the opinions of local Poles.