The Remnants of Modernity: Two Essays on Sarmatism and Utopia in Polish Contemporary Literature in Bloomington, MN

Post-communist Polish culture faced a problem: how to reconcile a growing demand for individual autonomy with a growing need for interpersonal and interspecies solidarity. The author argues that writers sought a solution in the processing of remnants - in the productive destruction of two leftovers of modernity: Sarmatian and utopia.