On the Way to Abona. Andrzej Stasiuk’s photographic journeys Cover Image

Jadąc do Abony. Fotograficzne podróże Andrzeja Stasiuka
On the Way to Abona. Andrzej Stasiuk’s photographic journeys

Author(s): Marta Koszowy
Subject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Instytut Badań Literackich Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Andrzej Stasiuk; contemporary Polish literature; photography; iconic turn

Summary/Abstract: This analysis of Andrzej Stasiuk’s novel Jadąc do Babadag [‘Driving to Babadag’] is undertaken from a narratological, genological and philosophy-of-history standpoint. It attempts at describing the operations carried out by the writer on the story he has authored. Narration is recognized as being enchanted and extrapolated from the figure of a photograph which forms a fetish but also, an inspiration for the space being described and for how time is reflected upon. As the engine of the narrative and actual reason for taking a trip (the photo taken by André Kertész), inspiration of a narrative method, the way of coding the reality and a figure which can best describe a human’s existence in time and space – according to Stasiuk’s concept – photograph(y) shows a tragic tear between the need to record things and death, between an uncertain prospect of infiniteness and mortality.

  • Issue Year: 2007
  • Issue No: 1-2
  • Page Range: 249-260
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish