Ojczyzna – obczyzna. Stanisław Przybyszewski o swej niemieckiej przeszłości w kręgu berlińskiej bohemy

Abstract

This article explores the Berlin period in the life and work of Stanisław Przybyszewski (1889–1898), one of the most famous writers of Young Poland, particularly focusing on why Przybyszewski – a writer debuting works in German and considered by scholars a Polish-German writer – came to increasingly depreciate his participation in the literature of his Western neighbors. In his memoirs, published before his death, he categorically stated: „I owe German literature – absolutely nothing”. In this essay, the researcher examines the circumstances in which Przybyszewski shone as a writer in the Berlin bohemian circle. Next, she shows how he discredited the entire cultural life of Jung-Deutschland, and renounced his artistic ties established in Germany. Finally, she speculates on why Przybyszewski created an unfavorable image of the German community at the end of the 19th century, and indicates that this process went hand in hand with the self-creation of a Polish writer.