Mr Władysław’s tale of the January Uprising. Samogitian themes in Stanisław Vincenz’s tetralogy „On the High Uplands“

Abstract

The article undertakes a topic that is omitted in the studies of the January Uprising in Polish literature. Also in the studies of Vincenz’s works this topic has not been discussed so far. It accounts for the mysterious figure of Mr Władysław – the
“guiding spirit” of the fourth volume of the tetralogy Na Wysokiej połoninie [On the High Uplands] – and his story of the January Uprising, which he had experienced in his native Samogitia. The main protagonist of the story is the, arguably fictional, character of Mr Kołaszko, a patriot, a social activist and a friend of the Russians. He does, however, take up arms on the side of the insurgents and even organises his own unit. During one skirmish, he lets a captured Russian go free, and the captive comes back to join the unit along with a few more companions. Fatally wounded in the battle, he resists the hatred towards his enemies. In this way, Mr Władysław’s story becomes an explication of Vincenz’s own ethical programme. He was fascinated by Gandhi and the essential message of the Gospel about loving one’s enemies. Mr Władysław himself is an authentic character, but the authenticity of
his story is difficult to judge. The picture of Samogitia is fragmentary and the place names are not reflected in the topography. It is significant, however, that although almost the entire Vincenz’s tetralogy is set in the Hutsul region, this significant episode is located precisely in the northern borderland. In this way, the author extends certain aspects of his work to the area of the entire former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.