The Capitals Kraków and Warsaw in Polish Literature: Artistic and Philosophical Dimension and Poetics

Abstract

The article investigates the artistic and philosophical representations of Kraków and Warsaw in Polish literature, focusing on multi-genre works by authors such as Stanisław Wyspiański, Tadeusz Borowski, Julian Tuwim, Antoni Słonimski, Kazimierz Wyka, Zofia Nałkowska, Maria Dąbrowska, and others. Through detailed poetics-based analysis, the author explores how the literary imagery of Kraków evolved into a symbolic «spiritual capital» of Poland, particularly through the multidimensional work of Wyspiański–poet, playwright, painter, and designer. The Kraków text is analyzed as a confluence of memory, identity, and artistic synthesis, shaped by sound, rhythm, visual art, and mythopoetic motifs. In contrast, the Warsaw text, particularly in the wartime poetry and memoirs from 1939 to 1945, encapsulates the existential experience of suffering, resistance, and national dignity. Texts by Baczyński, Gajcy, Lechoń, Tuwim, and others are interpreted as responses to historical trauma, deeply rooted in Polish collective consciousness and imbued with universal pathos. The paper emphasizes the resilience of cultural identity through literature and the transformative power of poetic language in narrating national fate.