A sinological essay about Norwid (transl. by Tadeusz Karłowicz)

Abstract

The review is an attempt at defining the genre of Krzysztof Andrzej Jeżewski's book Cyprian Norwid a myśl i poetyka Kraju Środka (Cyprian Norwid versus the thought and poetics of China). By referring to the disproportions between Norwidian and oriental contexts, as well as to numerous loose reflections, apparently reminding scientific conclusions, the text goes towards the ultimate suggestion to understand the work as an essay – in its first part, and as a collection of interpretative impressions – in the second one. Special attention is paid to those issues that in Norwid's work probably come from other sources (e.g. patristic), and are shown as ones taken from, or at least compatible with the spirit of Orient.