Księga o przyjaciołach Zofii Nałkowskiej i Marii Wielopolskiej. Karta z dziejów polskich zoonarracji
The Book on Friends by Zofia Nałkowska and Maria Wielopolska. A Page from the History of Polish Zoonarrative

Summary/Abstract: This article is an attempt to interpret The Book on Friends, a volume of short sto- ries written by Zofia Nałkowska and Maria Jehanne Wielopolska, published in 1927 year. The Book on Friends was devoted to the theme of animals. Both Nałkowska and Wielopolska were animal lovers, protesting against all forms of human cruelty towards them, and establishing close emotional relationships with them. In The Book on Friends, numerous traces of criticism of anthropocentric attitudes and voices in de- fence of animals can be found. Nałkowska and Wielopolska were able to penetrate into the psychological life of animals, portraying them as individuals with great cognitive and emotional abilities. The Book on Friends can be seen as an example of the Polish zoonarrative (an animal narrative), presenting animals not in a conventional way, but as subjects whose experiences broaden the cognitive horizons. Nałkowska’s works were characterized by a certain stylistic restraint, while Wielopolska preferred poetic prose with an emphatic style.

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