mgr Aleksandra Nowak

ORCID: 0000-0002-9030-0888

The topic of my dissertation is „Continuous dialogue”. The poetic work of Adriana Szymańska

Adriana Szymańska is a contemporary poet, novelist, essayist, literary critic, winner of literary prizes, born in 1943 in Toruń. She is the author of more than twenty volumes of poetry, two novels based on biographical motifs, children's books, a collection of essays from her travels North America and several sketches on contemporary poetry.

The thematically rich poetry of Szymańska’s has not yet been the subject of a comprehensive discussion, which is why this doctoral dissertation is intended to fill this gap.

The primary aim is to examine the entire poetic output of Szymańska’s and to situate it against the background of contemporary times. The research problem focuses on justifying the thesis that the poems of the author of Human Name are distinguished by a broadly understood dialogue, conversation – with people, nature, God, and more broadly – with space in general, but also internal dialogue. Constantly saying „to” therefore allows us to treat this work as dialogical.

One of the assumptions of this research is to isolate the basic themes present in Szymańska's poetic output, considering her creative biography, which has a significant influence on the shape of most of her works, since the poetry of the author of Green Blinds closely connected with her private experiences.

Some of the works by the author of Do Blood present a strong aspect of corporeality, biologism. It will be important to emphasize the presence of the category of the body in selected poems by Szymańska. Love poems, poems about motherhood and „hospital poems” will be analyzed.

Another goal is to indicate the poet's literary „places” that are directly related to the travels she has undertaken (European countries, North America), as well as to draw attention to the sensuality of perceiving the world (sensorium) and intellectual journeys that deepen cultural, anthropological knowledge.

The analysis and interpretation of selected works will also point to various contextual references present in her poems. Her works are rich in genre references, as well as references to literature, music, painting, sculpture, architecture, philosophy, and fields beyond his humanistic interests. This literary dissertation will therefore present an interdisciplinary approach.

Szymańska's poems also display the influence of various poets – above all Julian Przyboś and Bolesław Leśmian. They can be discerned especially when the poet considers the problem of man's relationship with nature, which is at the same time connected with the affirmative attitude adopted by the speaker of these lyrical works.

An important place in the poetic achievements of the author of Human Name is also occupied by metaphysical issues, which are present in frequent references to cosmology. The poet is looking for answers about eternity and life after death, and she connects her interests related to the cosmos with the activity of God as the Creator. The research goal will therefore be to show the co-occurrence of metaphysical and religious poetry in this work. Moreover, in the research on Adriana Szymańska's poetry, important are later, senile works that take on the character of a summary, a settlement both in the existential and artistic plane.

The poetic output of Szymańska’s is distinguished by a multitude of themes and motifs, providing appropriate material for comparison, analysis and interpretation. From yet another perspective, this dissertation will be an introduction to broader research into the writings of the author of Epilogue with a Star. The analysis of poems from all Szymańska's published collections of poetry and the problematization of the themes that appear in them will enrich the research conducted by literary scholars on contemporary literature – especially poetry.

Publications:

  • Nowak A., Obrazy tanatologiczne w tetralogii Marii Dąbrowskiej „Noce i dnie”, „Studia Filologiczne Uniwersytetu Jana Kochanowskiego”, tom 33, pod red. Z. Trzaskowskiego, Kielce 2020, s. 354-367.
  • Nowak A., Problem miłości utraconej na podstawie „*** [Jestem Julią]” Haliny Poświatowskiej oraz „Białych zeszytów” Agnieszki Osieckiej (na lekcji języka polskiego w szkole średniej), „Dydaktyka Polonistyczna”, nr 7(16), pod red. A. Kucharskiej-Babuli, Rzeszów 2021, s. 210-224.
  • Nowak A., Muzyczne filiacje w poezji Adriany Szymańskiej, [w:] Literatura, kultura, sztuka i media, pod red. B. Stelingowskiej, seria „Perspektywy Ponowoczesności”, t. XII, Ośrodek Badawczy Facta Ficta, Wrocław 2022, s. 413-435.
  • Nowak A., Adriana Szymańska, „Zielone rolety”, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, Warszawa 2021, ss. 66, „Prace Literaturoznawcze”, nr X, pod red. J. Chłosty-Zielonki, Olsztyn 2022, s. 349-354.
  • Nowak A., Jacka Kaczmarskiego wizja świata i człowieka (na przykładzie piosenki „Wojna postu z karnawałem”), „Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Sklodowska, sectio N – Educatio Nova”, vol VIII, Lublin 2023, s. 127–142.