“True fabrication”―the non-obvious fields of meanings of a literary metaphor

The article is a testimony―stylized as a conversation―of a living dialogue between the authors. Marcin Kafar and Michał Rydlewski open up to the exchange of ideas about non-obvious fields of meanings, entangling the metaphor of “true fabrication” proposed by a Polish postwar writer Marek Hłasko. The text begins with personal reminiscences of both authors, showing their youthful fascination with Hłasko’s writings. The issues taken up later on show that the conceptual tool, primordially tied to his literary achievements (i.e. “true fabrication”), exceeds a purely textual dimension launching multiple actions in the cultural and social sphere. The issues emerging here include inter alia: a complex problem of the relationship between orality and literacy, cultural memory and ethical aspects of practicing “true fabrication” in the context of work on specific forms of contemporary identity. The final touches of the conversation of Marcin Kafar and Michał Rydlewski make an attempt to reflect on “true fabrication” as the idea potentially restrictive for the attitude of authentic being-in-the-world.