Rytmy żałoby. Doświadczenie śmierci w polskiej prozie współczesnej (od Tadeusza Różewicza do Mateusza Pakuły)

Abstract

This article seeks to identify several defining features of Polish mourning literature produced in recent years. Through an analysis of selected texts, it traces the constitutive elements of their poetics, including fragmentary composition, note-like form, sylvic structure, and a pronounced autobiographical orientation. Particular attention is paid to the experience of the compulsion to write in the face of loss, as well as to the authors’ reflections on the possibilities and limitations of literary expression. Drawing on the concept of “radical equalization”, proposed by the author, the article demonstrates that the works under discussion reach beyond the immediate themes of death, dying, and bereavement to engage with broader existential, ethical, and social questions. It also examines one of the most significant tendencies within contemporary mourning literature: the effort undertaken by women writers to restore the figure of the mother to cultural memory and critical reflection. Finally, the article considers the constraints inherent in the conventions of mourning writing and highlights the growing role of fictionalization as a recent and influential development that may reshape the genre in the years to come.