Shackled Imagination. Henryk Sienkiewicz and his Skirmishes with Censorship. A Reconnaissance Cover Image

Wyobraźnia w okowach. Henryka Sienkiewicza potyczki z cenzurą. Rekonesans
Shackled Imagination. Henryk Sienkiewicz and his Skirmishes with Censorship. A Reconnaissance

Author(s): Katarzyna Kościewicz
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature
Published by: Towarzystwo Literackie im. Adama Mickiewicza
Keywords: Henryk Sienkiewicz; censorship; 19th century; People’s Republic of Poland

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses how the texts by and about Henryk Sienkiewicz were censored in the 19th and 20th centuries. The analysis of source material revealed significant similarities between the systems of censorship in the 19th-century Kingdom of Poland and the 20th-century communist People’s Republic of Poland. The aim of this article is to show the mechanisms used to interfere with Henryk Sienkiewicz’s literary activity and to influence literary criticism of his work (bans on publishing, censors’ interference, manipulating imprint and distribution, preventing the publication of reviews and citations in newspapers, magazines, school textbooks and scholarly analyses). Another objective of the article is to discuss what themes were considered unprintable in the socio-political realities of the 19th and 20th century (e.g. Polish-Russian and Polish Ukrainian relations, social problems, socialism, colonialism).

  • Issue Year: LXVIII/2013
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 541-558
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Polish