Dzieło i rękopis. O brulionach Zbigniewa Herberta

Inspired by the methodology of genetic criticism, this book traces the genesis of sixteen poems by Zbigniew Herbert. The author guides the reader through the world of manuscripts, which serve as an intimate space of freedom, revealing the stratification of the work and the scene of rhetoric, and indicating alternative paths of the creative process. We delve into the mysterious matter of the poet's laboratory, which uncovers the routes leading to Herbert's biography and literary influences, opening up the kaleidoscopic richness of threads still alive in the files of the Herbert Archive, preserved in the National Library of Poland. Herbert's manuscripts question the finished work, testifying to what was removed yet shaped the text equally with what entered the final version. The individual chapters of the book examine significant case studies, showing not only the process of creation of single works but also the formation of important Herbertian themes within the dynamic flow of texts composing the mosaic of genesis. The monograph also includes illustrations and a comprehensive annex with manuscript transliterations, available online.