About The Holy Dragon by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński

Abstract

In his paper, the author presents a new, innovative reading of one of the most important and intriguing stories by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, entitled The Holy Dragon. The interpretation put forwards by the author of the paper concentrates on the scrupulous analysis of the symbolic aspect of the story about a mysterious religious conversion of a small group of Italian boys. The reflection upon the most important elements of the world presented in Herling-Grudziński's work allows the author to unveil the covert mechanisms and to shed light on a spiritual aspect of the central conflict of the story. Explaining the particular mysteries of Herling-Grudziński's text, the author puts it in the context of a rich literary tradition concerning the mysterious event in Italian Apulia. Also quoted are Italian and French researchers of the event.