„Łemko nosi ból w genach”

Abstract

“A Lemko carries his pain in his genes.” The Face of the Lemkos’ Post-Memory The material being presented in this paper is a study case – the analysis of an interview which the author conducted with a granddaughter of the Lemkos displaced to Lower Silesia in 1947 as part of Operation Vistula. The narration of the interlocutor overfilled with emotions reveals the traumatic context of her incessant search for an answer to the question: Who am I? Since she did not agree to make the entirety of her talk public, transferring in this way the obligation to protect her name onto the author, the interview became a unique personal experience for the latter at the same time. Therefore, only those fragments of the above-mentioned interview are referred to in the text, which can be juxtaposed against opinions and sentiments of other Lemkos of the third generation. The aim is to make precise the contemporary picture of the Lemkos’ family-based post-memory that is burdened with the sense of harm and humiliation.

Keywords

• post-memory
• the Lemkos
• Operation Vistula
• ethnic identity