Tales for adult children? Hanna Krall’s Co się stało z naszą bajką [What happened to our fairy tale]

Abstract

Co się stało z naszą bajką [What happened to our fairy tale] is Hanna Krall’s only text intended for children and young adults. This article attempts to interpret it, paying particular attention to the changes in the subsequent editions and the impact these have on reception. To believe that every story can end happily is unthinkable in a world marked by the Holocaust. By adopting the fairy tale form, Krall constructs a metatextual reflection directed at the readers of her reportages—readers who often overlook that Zdążyć przed Panem Bogiem [Shielding the flame] provides a profound educational lesson for schoolchildren and reminds us that childhood is not invariably a time of joy.