Ruiny, pamięć i alternatywne wspólnoty. "W miesiącu Athyr" Konstandinosa Kawafisa i "Curatia Dionisia" Zbigniewa Herberta
Ruins, memory, and alternative communities: 'In the Month of Athyr' by C.P. Cavafy and 'Curatia Dionisia' by Zbigniew Herbert

Author(s): Ewa Róża Janion
Subject(s): Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Cavafy; Herbert; ruins; memory; intimacy
Summary/Abstract: I propose to compare the poems 'In the Month of Athyr' by C.P. Cavafy (1917) and 'Curatia Dionisia' by Zbigniew Herbert (1969). My reading takes as its starting point the observation that both poems deal with the themes of ancient ruins, damaged remnants, and memory. It also suggests that they lead to a reflection on solidarity and community. These values, however, are presented in a fundamentally different way and invite the reader to a different kind of identifications. I indicate that this contrast may result from radically different thinking about ethics and intimacy. Herbert’s poetry is on the side of ethical universalism and restraint, and it links aesthetic values to morality. Cavafy’s poetry, on the other hand, stands in opposition to traditional ethics, seeks alternatives and celebrates socially condemned forms of intimacy. Thus, this contribution is a voice in the discussion on the visions of antiquity by Herbert and Cavafy, taking into account the subject of sexuality and desire.

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