Przestrzeń i tożsamość. Dylematy „człowieka gór” w twórczości Michała Jagiełły

Abstract

The article discusses the problem of relations between spatial issues and contemporary identity discourses. Using such concepts as homo geographicus (R.D. Sack and J. Kaczmarek) and homo localis (M. Madurowicz), it presents a special case in which the subjectivity is determined in relation to the specific geographical environment – the mountains. The term “mountain man”, used in the literature, media and colloquial language for more than a hundred years, was analyzed from a philosophical perspective by Antonina Sebesta in the work Etyka i ethos “ludzi gór” (Ethics and Ethos of “Mountain People”). However the definition and scope of this identity category remains undetermined. This article “puts to test” the concept of the “mountain man” by analyzing the works of the so-called “mountain literature” of Michał Jagiełło – literary critic, mountaineer and rescue team member. The interpretations of the poems concentrate on the role of spatial metaphors in the lyrical identity narrative. The author notes how Jagiełło’s works, especially his last book of poetry – Pusta drabina [The Empty Ladder] encourage reflection on identity and the mythology of the “mountain man”.