Memories of a Kaszubi goblin by Bolesław Jażdżewski: An epic form of memory and a document of the times memoirs by B. Jażdżewski on the map of Kaszubi literature

Abstract

The subject of this article are "Memoirs of a Kashubian Goblin by Bolesław Jażdżewski as an epic form of memory and a document of the times." The narrative forms of memory concern the author's memoirs, comprising of three parts that go back to different periods of historical reality. The first part covers the years 1921-1943, the second - the period from the author's inclusion in the ranks of the Wehrmacht, while the third - refers to the postwar reality of Pomerania and Kashubia after the end of World War II and the construction of a new system in post-war Poland. The presented article is mainly based on the first part of the Memoirs of a Kashubian Goblin and the narrative strategies introduced in the course of reporting about the historical, social, cultural or religious events. B. Jażdżewski primarily relies on the category of memory, thanks to which the told world carries a heavy load of authenticity. In the first part of my research statement, I situate the autobiographical work of Jażdżewski on the map of Kashubian literature, with particular reference to such writers as Aleksander Majkowski, Jan Karnowski or Anna Łajming. In part two, on the other hand, I focus on the category of memory and related narrative strategies, which mean that this prose should be read as a document of the times and a record of history. This work is strongly rooted in the reality of existence in Kashubia and Pomerania in the interwar period and the first years of German occupation during World War II, as well as the post-war reality.