Demitologizacja polskiej historii w reportażach literackich Pawła Smoleńskiego

Paweł Smoleński adds an important voice to the critical discussion about Polish history. In his books such as Pochówek dla rezuna, Syrop z piołunu. Wygnani w akcji „Wisła” and Krzyżyk niespodziany. Czas Goralenvolk (written together with Bartłomiej Kuraś) the author reveals the dark side of incidents that occurred during the Second World War and soon after. With full consciousness of the stereotypes and tradition fixed in the Polish memory, shows his relation to the history of na-tion from, on the one hand, and excavates from it the essence that may and should lead to a better understanding of the present time, on the other. Using the biography of ordinary people, Smoleński, showing the full value of private, colloquial, sometimes internally discrepant voices, reconstructs the process of passing into silence, political control of reminiscences and historical falsehood. His books are stories written to warn. First of all, it is very good literature with a universal message. Smoleński shows in a very in-teresting way the “human measure of history,” helplessness of ordinary people in the face of politics and formal institutions, the easiness of controlling the reaction of masses and power of the language of propaganda. His books open the way for a better review of difficult past times but also, what is more important, help to better understand the present.