Reporter żywiołów : o (prawie) całej twórczości Melchiora Wańkowicza

The article is an attempt to deal with heritage by Melchior Wańkowicz, virtually absent in philological works. The author describes a multi‑dimensional output written by a father of the Polish reportage by means of the theory of four elements: the earth, water, fire and air. Using the very perspective allows for exposing important features of such writing (not being the subject to monographic perspectives, an abrupt changeability and richness of materials) as well as a wild personality of the same writer. A theoretical basis for the research samples proposed constitutes the literature of the subject connected with the fundamental elements and a theory of elements by Gaston Bachelard