Kamienie milowe w dziejach polskiej literatury dziecięcej i młodzieżowej. Leśmian − Korczak – Brzechwa

The authors of the article explore the concept of milestones in the research on the development of Polish children’s and young adult literature which has been derived from international, mainly English-language studies. This concept is given consideration with regard to prose and in the context of modernity understood as a cultural formation. The literary works which in the first half of the 20th century revealed a breakthrough character are exemplified by Przygody Sindbada Żeglarza [The Adventures of Sindbad the Sailor] and Klechdy sezamowe [Sesame Tales] by Bolesław Leśmian (both published in 1913), the King Matt duology (1923), Kiedy znów będę mały [When I Am Little Again] (1925), and Kajtuś czarodziej [Kaytek the Wizard] (1934) by Janusz Korczak and Akademia Pana Kleksa [Professor Inkblot’s Academy of Wonders] (1946) by Jan Brzechwa. The authors discuss the novelty of these works in terms of their content and form as well as their influence on the development of Polish children’s and young adult literature.