Dostojewski w polskiej powojennej refleksji humanistycznej

The present outline is an attempt at compiling the experiences and attainments of the Polish post-war reflection on the work of Fyodor Dostoevsky. The Russian genius was probably the only author who inspired both Polish researchers and writers alike. In the article, the author argues that interest was sparked both by the life of The Brothers Karamazov’s author, and by his work, which, moreover, was often read in a biographical context. The Polish dostoevskology was developing in two strands: the émigré one, free from the pressures of censorship, and the domestic one which was subject to significant censorial restrictions up until 1989. Despite the hindrances in the years 1956 to 1989, there emerged many works which made an important contribution not only to Russian studies in Poland, but also to the global contemplation on Dostoevsky’s work. Since the beginning of the 1990s, a remarkable development of Polish dostoevskology has been taking place; ideology ceased to restrict researchers, and many studies of surprisingly differing methodologies have been conducted. The article discusses the vast majority of Polish books devoted to the work, philosophy and philosophy of history of the author of Demons (the most important articles are also mentioned). What is more, the dynamics of dostoevskology are presented, together with its diversity of topics (studies on novel poetics originating from Bakhtin’s concepts, issues of anthropology, religion, philosophy of history, ethics, the aesthetic and ideological influence of Dostoevsky on Polish and world literature). Also explored is its methodological diversity: from biographism, to Marxism, structuralism, semiotics, hermeneutics and the history of ideas. The works were very often interdisciplinary in nature. This review allowed the author to conclude that the significance of Polish research on the work of the Russian writer is defined as a symbiotic coupling of a particular ‘Polish outlook’ and a universal perspective