Cultural stereotypes of Vilnius in the modem poetry of Lithuanian poles

The main subject of this article is the reflection of cultural phenomena and human artefacts of the city of Vilnius, and those related to the city, in the modem poetry of the Poles of Lithuania mainly created after 1990. The most abundant ethnic minority (there are about two hundred thousand Poles living in Lithuania) is known for a relatively strong national-cultural identity that is based on rich historical traditions. After the departure of almost the entire intelligentsia after the Second World War, the cultural and literary life of local Poles revived only in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Modem poetry by Lithuanian Poles has not yet been widely examined; this phenomenon was mainly described in popular periodicals, introductions to separate anthologies, and occasional articles. The subject has been reflected in wider works aimed at comparative studies of the Lithuanian-Polish literary connections only as separate fragments (in works by Tadeusz Bujnicki, Wojciech Jerzy Podgórski, Aleksander Fiut, Halina Turkiewicz, Inessa Szulska, Andrzej Franaszek). Certain aspects of the subject can also be found in monographs on famous Polish writers related to Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Czeslaw Miłosz, Józef Mackiewicz, and others. This article sets out a diachronic paradigm illustrating the key modifications of Vilnius cultural stereotypes and their variations in literature. Based on the analysis of empirical material, certain synchronous parallels have also been drawn with current Lithuanian poetry, illustrating the cultural layers of Vilnius from different angles. Almost all, or the vast majority, of these authors were bom, studied, and now live in Vilnius or the region, though some have left Lithuania and arc writing in, for example, Germany (Alicja Rybatko) or Poland (Romuald Mieczkowski). However, as a matter of fact there are no boundaries in today’s Europe, in the European Union, and thus the places of residence of authors as well as the concept of contacts with readers are changing completely. The internet and other communication tools allow us to feel as if we are living in a single community, a sort of "global village" (a concept used by Marshall McLuhan). A similar situation has formed with Lithuanian authors, the only difference being that the audience for Polish readers is much wider throughout the world. The current core of the Polish poets is a writers’ club established under the daily "Kurjer Wileński" ["Courier of Vilnius"] in 1978, whose members released an anthology "Sponad Wilii cichych fal" ["Down the Peaceful Waves of the Neris River"] (1985). The club published the works of authors representing all the post-war generations - the senior (Jadwiga Bębnowska, Maria Stępowska, Michał Wolosewicz), the middle (Maria Lotocka, Sławomir Worotyński, Wojciech Piotrowicz), and the junior (Henryk Mażul, Romuald Mieczkowski). These and other poets (about twenty of them) have published or are publishing their poems in periodicals, monothematic anthologies, and separate books in Lithuania and Poland. Over about thirty years (since 1985) more than fifty books have been published, constituting an important creative habitat for our region. R. Mieczkowski (fifteen books), Aleksander Śnieżko (ten books), and Alicja Rybalko (seven books) may be mentioned as the most productive authors; in addition, a number of collections were released by Piotrowicz and Józef Szostakowski. Of course, statistical data do not adequately reflect either the place occupied by the poetry of Lithuanian Poles in the culture of the country or its artistic potential. Usually, these are small publications, holding about thirty to forty poems, and released with a circulation of about one hundred to two hundred copies. A large part of their creative work has been published in relatively abundant anthologies, where not only Polish, but also Lithuanian, Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian poets published their work; these publications demonstrate not only individual artistic conventions and styles but also depict interesting comparative aspects. "Przenieść Wilno do serca. Portret Miasta" ["Move Vilnius over to the Heart. Portrait of the City"] (2009) and "Susitikimai. Spotkania" ["Meetings"] (2013) can be mentioned among anthologies of particular value to the problems of this publication. What arc the main characteristics uniting, or "binding", the Polish poets of Lithuania? Which artistic conventions do they usually use? Here, comparisons and parallels with the entire body of Polish poetry usually emerge. The compilers of the anthology "Współczesna poezja Wileńszczyzny" [The Modern Poetry of Vilnija] (1986), published in Warsaw, discuss in the introductory part the development of creative works in the post-war years and distinguish three main artistic trends with their own thematic and artistic preferences. The first is unique, stylized "folk art" reminiscent of the artistic style of poets of the nineteenth century (Władysław Syrokomla, Maria Konopnicka); the second is "resting on traditional versification and stanza, discussing public-political topics" (this is close to the poetry of Władysław Broniewski); the third is "a syncretic current of innovative, modem poetry" (authors such as Maria Łotocka, Mieczkowski and Mażul can be considered the ambassadors of this trend. It should be noted that authors compare Mażul with the representatives of the Polish poetic avantgarde, Tadeusz Różewicz and Stanislaw Grochowiak). [...