W lustrze pamięci – problemy żydowskiej literatury autobiograficznej

Abstract

This article is an introduction to Jewish autobiographical literature. Basing her premises on a canonical text by Georges Gusdorf, the author undermines, in the spirit of post-colonialism, his Christianity-centered perception of the foundations of the autobiographical tradition. The aim of this article is to highlight the richness and ancient origins of Jewish autobiographical literature, written in many different languages (Yiddish, Hebrew, Greek, German, and others), and to present the impact of the traditions of family memory and martyrology on its nature. The author’s deliberations on the topic draw attention to the fact that Jewish memoir literature constitutes an extremely fertile source for research in Polish social, cultural, customary, and religious studies that is virtually unknown and unexamined by Polish scholars working in these fields.

Keywords

• Jewish autobiographical literature
• Georges Gusdorf
• post-colonialism
• memory