Jan Tomasz Gross – biografia symboliczna. (Uwagi na marginesie …bardzo dawno temu, mniej więcej w zeszły piątek…)

Abstract

The article focuses on the self-creation dimension of the autobiographic narrative by Jan Tomasz Gross contained in his book …Long, Long Time Ago, More or Less Last Friday… (an example of talk literature). In his analysis, Kopczyk brings out the biographic models into which the authorprotagonist inscribes his life, paying attention to their relation with the Polish patriotic tradition, and romantic tradition in particular. In the fate of the protagonist, he perceives elements of “a typical romantic biography,” including the motif of mission and pilgrimage (for one’s homeland). The conclusion of the article suggests a relationship between Gross’s self-creation project and his work as a historian revealing the truth about the fates of Polish Jews during World War 2 and afterwards. Inscribing his own biography into “good models” alleviates what Gross perceives as personal consequences of disturbing the social taboo related to Polish people’s participation in the extermination of the Jewish minority.

Keywords

• Jan Tomasz Gross
• talk literature
• autobiography
• self-creation