Islandia z perspektywy narracji migracyjnej Mirosława Gabrysia
Iceland from the Perspective of a Migrant Narrative of Mirosław Gabryś

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents the book by Mirosław Gabryś (born 1973), titled Islandzkie zabawki. Zapiski z wyspy wulkanów [Icelandic toys. Notes from the volcano island] in which the author describes his 5-year-long stay on the island (2005–2010). His report is the first original attempt in the Polish literature to show the strategy of a Polish migrant – a representative of the largest and youngest national minority in Iceland – to adapt to the new social and natural environment. It is a subjective, multi-layered and hybrid narrative. For its author, emigration is an adventure, an important adaptive strategy, especially in the light of an economic crisis of the host country – Iceland, despite the fact that he has never felt at home here and has not stayed for longer. Event though he relatively rarely moves beyond an obvious paradigm of dualistic thinking: an immigrant – a citizen, we – others, connection to the place – non-placement, in the perspective of experiences, individual feelings and meanings he assigns to them, the author of the book is an example of a temporary emigrant who does not always fit the stereotype of a Pole in Iceland and even criticizes his compatriots.

• Details
• Contents