BORDERLAND - A SPACE OF CHOICE

The term 'borderland' refers to a natural area comprising many languages, ethnoses and cultures. The borderland of the former Republic of Poland was situated between civilizations and confessions, and its rhythm was defined by the West and the East. The geographical dimension of borderlands should be regarded as spatial; this refers to the ground as well as to the history of colonization. From a social point of view, borderlands (ethnic, for example) do not feature clearly distinguished spatial borders. Therefore, Borderlands can be considered as 'situational'. The condition of the inhabitants of Borderlands is characteristic of Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz's prose. It makes him transfer the world of confined esthetics into the world of Mediterranean Europe by considering the lost space as an experience of both memory and esthetics. As an artist, Iwaszkiewicz situates himself in Borderlands. He is considered 'Ukrainian' as well as cosmopolitan. These concepts should be accompanied by the most essential term 'Borderlines', from which many other categories originate. It provides the appropriate tools with which to examine Iwaszkiewicz's work and to describe the writer's sensitivity, esthetics, and perception of the world, which come from a 'crossing of traditions'.