From Catastrophism to Pessimism. Death and Sacrum in the Poetry of Stanisław Piętak

Stanisław Piętak’s poems are full of sadness and dark feelings. Poet was under the influence of the
atmosphere of time between two world wars, which was reflected in Polish literature, especially as the
catastrophism. Fatalistic conception of human fate in his poetry rises from influence of Romanticism and
Decadence, too. On the other hand, Piętak was eradicated from his folk heritage. Arcadia of childhood
seems irretrievably lost; that’s why poet was demonstrating nostalgia for death more and more. However,
Piętak belonged to the informal poetry group around Józef Czechowicz, young poet was under the great
influence of his master’s works. In Piętak’s poems appeared obsession of death, typical for their literature
way of presentation of reality and revealing non-material sphere. Pietak’s poetry is searching of sacrum
and absent God. His lyrics and poems are a testimony to premonition of his own death and the quasiapocalyptic
destruction of the world and human culture. In the article we make an attempt to explain
poetic images of this prophecies with relation to the definition of catastrophism in Polish literature. In
the text there are subjected to interpretation some representative poems, in which motifs relating to unreality
could be found, for example: images of sky, symbolic representation of colours and flowers, guests
from the other world, etc. Piętak’s supplementary notes and commentaries were used to prove author’s
spiritual condition over consecutive periods of his life and work. Analyses of selected poems from three
last volumes of poetry show an evolution of Piętak’s philosophy of literature.