In Praise of Philology – Paweł Mackiewicz’s Sequel. O poezji Marcina Sendeckiego (Sequel. On the Poetry of Marcin Sendecki)

Abstract

The article offers a critical commentary on Paweł Mackiewicz’s Sequel. O poezji Marcina Sendeckiego (2015). The author recognizes the pioneering role of the first monograph on Sendecki, in its effort to situate the poet within literary tradition (both the Polish and the world traditions), and simultaneously addresses certain limitations that result from the reading strategy Mackiewicz chooses to adopt. A “conservative” position vis-à-vis the scholarly tasks presented by Mackiewicz is underscored. The article poses the question of whether it is possible to expand the titular category of the sequel (for example in the context of the deconstructionist notion of l’hantologie) in such a way that it might become a tool for the description of cultural phenomena.