Motherhood without icing and retouching. The ‘Polish Mother’ icon in Polish literature created after the year 2000 and blogs Polish woman-centered symbolism has a specific dimension, which is depicted in the iconic ‘Polish Mother’ (Matka Polka). The iconic image is deeply rooted in Polish history and culture and it often refers to the mother of Jesus as she is expected to sacrifice her children for the motherland. As a woman, she realizes herself not only through motherhood but also in the service of her nation, and as such, she becomes a highly charged metaphor for both motherly love and patriotism. The ‘Polish Mother’ is a myth; a stereotype that has shaped the thinking of the nation for more than two centuries and is still largely in force. In contemporary literature (and also in various media texts and blogs) one can identify however, obvious attempts to re-evaluate this very traditional iconic image. Especially motherhood, in Poland today, has gained a new dimension. I investigate some of the most characteristic aspects of the selected texts, focusing on the discrepancy between the old clichés and expectations and the subversion of traditionally defined motherhood in a modern society, which no longer takes the ‘Polish Mother’ at face value.

The “between” zone in two novels by Katarzyna Tubylewicz

In this article I analyze two novels by Katarzyna Tubylewicz: Własne miejsca (2005) and Rówieśniczki (2014). They have similar narrative structures, themes and stylistic modes. Their plots take place in both Sweden and Poland and reveal a world seen through different filters: social, historical, cultural, religious and emotional. The world presented in these books falls therefore in a “between” zone. The common denominator is mainly a problem of emigration, external and internal, as well as the problem of nationality. The author takes up, amongst others, the problem of xenophobia and societal attitudes to abortion and the Jewish cause. Tubylewicz also refers to and parodies the various national stereotypes, including the image of the Polish Mother and opinions of other nationalities and cultures. An important question is whether preservation of national identity and fidelity to one’s own culture is possible in times of geographical mobility.

The first spontaneous reaction by Swedish society when Wisława Szymborska was awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature was great collective surprise. In spite of the fact that never before had so much been written about the laureate - dealing with literary aspects as well as personal character traits - a majority of the Swedish public was still relatively ignorant of the laureate. Nevertheless, among Swedish Slavists, she had her loyal adherents. Already in the beginning of the 1960s, Nils-Åke Nilsson published an anthology of Polish poetry, Det nakna ansiktet (“The Naked Face”). In 1980, the first Swedish anthology of poems by Szymborska was published, interpreted by Per-Arne Bodin and Roger Fjellström: Aldrig två gånger (“Never twice”). Among those who discovered and appreciated Szymborska’s poetry at an early stage was undoubtedly Professor Sven Gustavsson. Already in 1980, he organized a conference on contemporary Polish poetry at the Department of Slavic Languages at Uppsala University and, in 1984, a symposium devoted exclusively to the poetry of Wisława Szymborska. In 1993, she visited Stockholm University and Uppsala University, attending meetings with students and other interested participants. Today, Szymborska’s poems are still very popular and appreciated, a fact that explains the great demand for renewed editions of her works. The reasons for this popularity are to be found in the complex picture of Szymborska’s literary and non-literary qualities, whose common denominator is simplicity. This is not just a keyword in relation to her poetry, but also in relation to the poet's psychological characteristics. It also forms the basis for what I call “the Szymborska phenomenon in Sweden.” In my article, beyond the reactions of society to Szymborska’s Nobel Prize, I discuss Sven Gustavsson’s lifelong commitment and involvement in the dissemination of Szymborska’s poetry in Sweden. This article is dedicated to the memory of Professor Gustavsson.

M. Anna Packalén Parkman

Department of Modern Languages, Uppsala University

anna.packalen@moderna.uu.se

Abstract.

Whither Polish literature? Some Observations on Contemporary Literary Trends

During the past decade, Polish women writers have published a variety of titles which are

symptomatic of the ‘new times’ and fashionable literary trends. The most prominent examples include not only texts which can be broadly defined as ‘queer writing’ (e.g. novels by Ewa Schilling and Marta Dzido), but also works which are associated with pop culture and have been defined outside of Poland as ‘chick lit. I would argue that various novels authored by Katarzyna Grochola, who has famously been called the ‘Polish Bridget Jones’, belong to this category. Besides these two types of writing, there has also been a significant development within the genre of ‘erotic novels’ (e.g. Nielegalne związki (2010) by Grażyna Plebanek, as well as other new novels such as Rdza (2008) by Ewa Berent and Naga (2010) by Izabela Szolc.) All these novels are quite diverse, and they all transgress the conventional way of depicting heterosexual sex scenes and erotic encounters. They also address in new ways the modern woman’s search for identity in modern Poland. Of particular interest in this type of literature is its depiction of cultural diversity on the one hand, and its local context on the other. Thus, my primary concern in analysing this newly emerging type of women’s writing is with the following question: To what extent do these writers consciously imitate ‘Western European’ models, and to what extent do they create their own local genre by responding to the needs of a culture in which sexuality is no longer a taboo topic?