George Mallory i Zamarła Turnia albo kilka uwag na temat miejsc wspólnych i granic literatur międzynarodowych

Main purpose of this paper is to reflect on the forms of presence of universal themes, such as the necessity of conquering the unconquerable and the death as its consequence, in culturally and linguistically distant national literatures. The reflection is based on comparative reading of two apparently not corresponding texts (Z Tatr [From the Tatra Mountains] by Julian Przyboś (1901-1970) and For George Leigh-Mallory by Gary Snyder (1930-). First of all, the historical, literary and artistic contexts of each poem are presented. Additionally, the legends and biographical facts concerning the focal figures that inspired the poems are shortly characterized, in order to emphasise their psychological and intellectual affinities. Furthermore, both poems are commented, with particular stress laid on the particularity of each vision (the upside-down landscape of a dying mountaineer by Przyboś and the defeat of a Western man facing the East by Snyder). Over and above that, the place of two poems in the World Republic of Letters is discussed. Such issues as translatability of each text, their artistic complexity and the chances of being known outside of national milieu of readers are tackled. In conclusion, language is presented as the main feature determining the fact that a text belongs to the ‘central’ literatures or is placed at their outskirts. Last but not least, common themes do not correspond with common imaginary, deeply rooted in national cultures.