“And Here I shall be Spending the Quarantine...”: Berlin during the Pandemic in the Volume Ręka pszczelarza by Tomasz Różycki
Roman Bobryk
Faculty of Humanities. Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanitieshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5343-4043
Abstract
Published in the year 2022, the poetic volume Ręka pszczelarza [The Beekeeper’s Hand] by Tomasz Różycki encompasses 78 poems, predominantly sonnets. These poems, according to the publisher's suggestion, encapsulate the poet's contemplations during his period of isolation in Berlin amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Each of these poems serves as a documentation of the metamorphoses undergone by the lyrical persona while confined within an empty apartment—transforming into mythical creatures, with countenances evoking images of an animal. The central figure in these verses embarks on a journey through the deserted streets of Berlin, much like Odysseus, often stumbling upon the “stones of memory” (German: Stolpersteine) embedded in the sidewalks, which serve as poignant reminders of the Jewish inhabitants of the city who perished during the Second World War.
Keywords:
Tomasz Różycki, pandemic poetry, loneliness, quarantineReferences
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Faculty of Humanities. Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5343-4043
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