Ars poetica as the Art of Survival: an Interpretation of Urszula Kozioł’s Poem “Tysiąc i jedna noc” (A Thousand and One Nights)

Abstract

The article offers an interpretation of Urszula Kozioł’s Tysiąc i jedna noc (A Thousand and One Nights), originally released as part of the poet’s debut, Gumowe klocki (Rubber Blocks, 1957). This interpretation highlights the self-referential aspect of the work and accents the meaning of its references to the tale of Scheherezade. The act of creation is presented as the art of survival, and attempt to order chaos and understand reality in spite the awareness of death. In the discussion of the poem, its inherent ambivalence is brought into relief: its emphasis on the importance of the word and simultaneous distance toward the word’s glorification. The author considers the problem of the need for and ubiquity of narrative.