“Thou who hast sewn together this canvas.” Adam Zagajewski’s Search for the Absolute

Abstract

Adam Zagajewski’s poetry proves how complex man’s relationship with the sacred can be. Despite the poet’s testimony of complete independence from established formations, including denominational ones, in his early work, when he described himself as “an atheist of both churches, non-partisan among party members, an unbeliever among believers, uncertain among the convinced” (Mogę mówić tylko za siebie [I can only speak for myself]; Oda do wielości [Ode to multiplicity], Zagajewski 1983), literary criticism has long emphasized the presence of a broadly conceived sphere of the sacred in his poetry. When read­ing Zagajewski’s poems, one has the impression that the sacred is permanently present, and that the poet is constantly brushing against the figure of the Abso­lute, while not being able (or sometimes not wanting) to fully see it. The reader even gets the impression that perhaps this may be a purposeful impossibility. For Zagajewski, an extremely important theme is circular movement, constant circling around the same issue, and a need for constant questioning. This article discusses these complex relations, proving that Zagajewski consistently reflects in on the figure of the Absolute, that the subject of his poems seeks the sacred, and that the question of the Absolute seems to be more than a poetic strategy for the author, but also a very personal dilemma. The poet died on March 21, 2021.