O zapomnieniu i „pracy pamięci". Od Prousta do Szymborskiej

Abstract

This article presents reflections on the subject of memory and oblivion in Wisława Szymborska’s poetry. However, the dispute begins by recalling the work which is fundamental for these issues, namely In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. This book contains the archetypal “episode of the Madeleine”, which is the matrix for the description of the phenomena of involuntary memory, oblivion, and voluntary memory effort. In this context, further reflection evolves with respect to Martin Heidegger’s paradox, as worded by Paul Ricoeur, that oblivion enables remembering. This promising thesis does not, however, eradicate the fear of definitive oblivion, against which we “cultivate” memory. The two analyzed poems by Szymborska - Travel Elegy and May 16,1973 - illustrate the scandal of oblivion, which memory cannot overcome. Both texts are interpreted in wide psychological contexts, which enables the exposure of the poet’s artistic strategy and a deeper understanding of the problem of functioning of autobiographic memory. From this perspective it can be noticed that Szymborska, especially in the second text, by starting with the date, chooses the most difficult form of recalling past events. Mourning of the lost past, and with it - the lost part of “self’, does not result from an actual failure of the authentic efforts of voluntary memory, but turns out to be a pretext for expressing - once again - the imperfection of man. It is not, however, a final and complete expression, as the other pole is the set of Szymborska’s texts that glorify this imperfection.