This book analyses articulations of cultural identity in the work of the twentieth-century
Polish poet Jerzy Harasymowicz concentrating on the ways in which his shifting perspectives on
the Carpathian Lemko Region are used to address the dilemmas of power hybridity and
interethnic contact. Set against the background of communist Poland the poems examined here
challenge official narratives of identity while exploring the possibilities and limits of
self-creation in poetry. Constituting the first post-1989 reading of Harasymowicz's verse free
from the constraints imposed by political censorship this book provides a reinterpretation of
the poet's work and reconsiders his contested legacy. By framing the discussion within the
context of postcolonial studies the author explores the usefulness of this approach in
reassessing cultural representations of Polish national identity and raises broader questions
about the ability of postcolonial theory to redefine the established notions of national
literature and culture.
