Between the Polish and the Arabic Baroque Cover Image

Między barokiem polskim a... arabskim
Between the Polish and the Arabic Baroque

Author(s): Paweł Siwiec
Subject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Instytut Badań Literackich Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Hārūn ar-Rašīd; Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński; Baroque; Polish Literature 16 c.; Arab literature 9 c.

Summary/Abstract: Polish baroque poetry and Arabic lyric verse of Hārūn ar-Rašīd’s time are apparently two realities remote from each other in space, time, and spirit. Can there be any link whatsoever between Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński with the late 8th/early 9th century poet from the Euphrates area, whose apparently Saracen name was Abu al-‘Atahiya? Yes, and the associations are unexpectedly strong and numerous. This article identifies resemblances in philosophical attitudes, spiritual transformations, quandaries and dilemmas, as well as the themes of their writings, their poetic style and their place and role in the literary current of their respective periods. For the epochs in which these poets lived – although eight centuries separate them – had a lot in common.

  • Issue Year: 2010
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 199-208
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Polish