Polish-Jewish relations on the basis of Marek Świerczek’s novel Dybuk (anthropological perspective)

Abstract

The paper aims at discussing the novel 'Dybuk' and contrasting it – in the anthropological perspective – with both its historical and sociological contexts. Świerczek’s novel is set in Poland immediately after the Second World War and it focuses on the problems which afflicted both Poles and Jews. Furthermore, we focus the reader’s attention on the ambiguity with which history was judged after the war – according to Świerczek, it is impossible to judge the postwar reality and interpret the facts connected with this period as ‘the only right ones’. Świerczek creates characters and events on the basis of oppositions: good vs. evil, black vs. white, but he allows a number of characters and their fates to speak out. Nevertheless, the final judgment is left to the reader.