Heroiczna apokalipsa : w kręgu idei i wyobraźni Tadeusza Micińskiego

Abstract

The following book is another attempt to interpret the writings of Young Poland’s author – Tadeusz Miciński (1873–1918). Above all he is treated here as a visionary poet who transforms during the World War I into the poet – ideologist, devoting his metaphysical imagination to the services of specific national and social rebirth programs. Therefore Miciński might be interpreted not only as a visionary poet, but also as a visionary thinker, whose writings contain repeated or disscussed anew themes and motives. It refers to his poetic imagination and philosophy of life as well. In case of the first one Miciński prefers Lot and Destiny over Providence. The obsessive presence of this plot in his writings is simply striking (chapter I: “Lot” and ”Destiny”). Another distinguishing mark of his poetic vision is a full of tension mythical matrix: antiquity and christianity, building a story around the myth and on the myth. Miciński was promoting inner heroism (moral perfectionism, ”spiritual work”) and outer heroism (“physical work”). The guides on the heroism way were supposed to become those few, heroes transformed into charismatic people, the real spiritual leaders (chapter II: “From hero to a charismatic person. The legacy of Antiquity”). On the other hand the cottage motive which occurs in his workings is a perfect example of fascination with primordiality and people's moral purity (chapter III: “Cottage symbolism in Miciński’s prose”). The Tatras and the Baltic Sea which were Miciński’s huge love were widely discussed. His dis-like towards urban complexes and especially Warsaw was also mentioned. However the confrontation of sacred things with the defiled ones, sacrum of the Tatras and the Baltic Sea with the city’s profanum (its residents), are another of the poet’s idée fixe (chapter IV: “The Tatras at the Baltic Sea. Anti-urbanism”). The subject-matter of the last – V chapter is the apocalyptic plot in Miciński’s writings: an Apocalypse explored in the mankind’s history and human life. The author of the book describes the Apocalypse in the novel “Mené-Mené-Thekel-Upharisim... Quasi una phantasia” (written 1913–1914, pub. 1931). The texts published in the 2nd part of this book have one theme in common – Poland. Miciński was fighting for its future bringing charges against intellectual – bourgeois Poland. For the author of “Wita” and the other congenial thinkers and writers Poland is res sacra – a sacred thing. Visionary – thinker Miciński is presented in five scenes: firstly (chapter VI: “Nationalism and cosmopolitism. Fighting for Poland.”) as an open-minded patriot who at the same time is the citizen of Europe, who travelled across it both far and wide, from Scandinavia to Spain, Italy and Bulgaria, from Russia to France. The poet was cosmopolitan and Polish nationalist at the same time in the way represented by Zygmunt Miłkowski (widely known as Teodor Tomasz Jeż) rather than the National Democracy. Secondly (chapter VII: “The Spiritual Book against the civilization apocalypse”) – he was portrayed as a creator of the Book he was writing his whole life. Ideas, motives, thoughts that constantly occur in Miciński’s writings prove his certain recurrence. It is not an accusation. The point is that the poet opposing the modern civilization’s degeneration was permanently fighting for spiritual values. Thirdly (chapter VIII: “Poland and Poles on the treshold of independence”) Miciński was shown as a sort of popular tribune, the defender but at the same time the accuser of contemporary Poles, who dreams of Poland being the synthesis of the East and the West, stressing the predominance of the second one. That Miciński, national culture’s propagator is closely connected with the previously discussed creator of the Book. In the fourth place (chapter IX: “The Jewish issue”) the author of “Nietota” was presented as a follower of the Jews’ assimilation idea, declaring his often anti-Jewish views in a very problematic times for that issue. The Jewish matter is one of the issues that occur repeatedly in almost all his writings from the mature period of his creativity because it directly concerned Poland and Poles. In the fifth place (chapter X: “Frontierland, Byzantium and the “New Life” in “Wita”) Miciński was presented as a thinker under the influence of slavophilia, the herald of nations’ brotherhood, especially Slavic ones. Even though he was writing about it even earlier his believes were fully expressed in “Wita”. In the sixth place (chapter XI: “»Elogium Oyczyzny«. Imagination in the service of idea”) – the author of the book gives a sample of Miciński's war poetry (“Elogium Oyczyzny” [1915]), analysing it briefly.