Polish Dantism: between the Epic and Ethics

The Polish version of the article was published in “Roczniki Humanistyczne,” vol. 60 (2012), issue 1. This essay proposes a synthesis of the major themes and issues of Polish Dantism, with a particular reference to the 20th century and beyond. The author retraces the traditional motifs which connect 20th-century authors to the Romantic tradition, and discusses some examples (Gombrowicz, Vincenz, Miłosz) in a broader comparative context (referring specifically to Eliot, Mandelstam, Brodsky). The author argues that the Modernist ethical idea of “necessary Dante” tends to be gradually replaced by a Postmodernist notion of “aesthetic Dante,” with a flowering of new translations—not only of the Divina Commedia. These works restore a balance between Polish literary Dantism and Dante studies. In this sense, the Polish situation displays a lot of similarity to the European and international context, abundant with trends and concerns which go far beyond those of a national language and literature.