Lec i inni. Szkice o aforyzmach oraz poezji myślenia

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Lec and Others. Sketches on Aphorisms and the Poetry of Thought

This book explores the work of Stanisław Jerzy Lec, one of the most outstanding Polish writers of the 20th century – a view shared by philologists, linguists, philosophers, sociologists, and readers both in Poland and abroad. Alongside numerous commentaries on Myśli nieuczesane (Unkempt Thoughts), I offer interpretations of individual aphorisms, focusing in particular on three: Ludzie zazębiają się o siebie (“People grind against each other”); Przy pożarze Getta upiekło wielu swoją własną pieczeń (“During the burning of the Ghetto, many roasted their own meat”); and Myśl się toczy, jestem jej tokarzem (“Thought rolls on – I am its turner”). These aphorisms illuminate three crucial spheres of reality that Lec describes: social life, history, and creation. They exemplify his verbal artistry and invite similarly expansive interpretations of his other works.

Through these examples, I also aim to demonstrate how studying Lec’s aphorisms can be useful: for problematizing literary miniatures in educational contexts, for analyzing testimonies of the Holocaust, and for showcasing the creative imagination of a distinguished writer. In subsequent essays, I employ Lec’s aphorisms to construct chronopoetics (as a specific branch of literary studies). I discuss how Unkempt Thoughts influenced successive generations of writers, especially poets – hence my analysis of Joanna Kulmowa’s epigram. I also examine Lec’s aesthetic impact on the poetry of Artur Daniel Liskowacki, a poet based in Szczecin.

Additionally, I comment on aphoristic collections by Leszek Szaruga, a representative of the New Wave, and Łukasz Jarosz, a member of the “seventies generation.” While the New Wave’s interest in Lec is historically understandable – given the linguistic experimentation, moral questions, and issues of power in Unkempt Thoughts – the engagement of younger generations with aphorisms is particularly intriguing. Equally compelling, though for different reasons, is the essayistic work of Tadeusz Dąbrowski. The Gdańsk-based writer not only engages with aphorisms but also practices the art of interpreting individual Unkempt Thoughts.

Yet the point is not merely to identify writers interested in lyrical miniatures. I emphasize that Lec is a lawgiver of a certain postwar literary current. There may even be a “Lec school,” as I suggest in the essay on Joanna Kulmowa. It certainly includes Piotr Matywiecki, Ryszard Krynicki, Stanisław Barańczak, Bohdan Zadura, Leszek Szaruga, Andrzej Szuba, Krzysztof Myszkowski, Piotr Michałowski, and others.