Litewskie dziedzictwo Czesława Miłosza

Abstract

Czeslaw Milosz, a poet, essay writer, Nobel prize winner, was born in Lithuania in 1911. His family belonged to the gentry for generations and participated in the local activities. He returns to his Lithuanian roots in numerous writings. Although writing in Polish, he expresses his feelings warmly to wards his homeland. Milosz also remembers the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which was then united with the Polish Kingdom. Referring to the situation during the turn of the 19th century, he finds himself a member of so called ’natives’, ie intellectuals of noble origin. Although Polish in culture and language, they had strong feelings towards historic Lithuanian territories. The natives cooperated in the freeing of Lithuanians and Bielorussians, and colaborated with them for the common good of the motherland, where Jews, Tartars and Caraims resided as well. Czeslaw Milosz introduced vartaus historic aspects of the former Grand Duchy territories to the world literature. His personal attitude to Vilnius (Wilno) - the city of his youth was expressed e.g. in the poem ’’Nigdy od Ciebie miasto nie mogiem odjechač (I could never leave you, city)”. Nowadays, he seems to be glad to find Vilnius the capital of independent Lithuania.