Poet in the Augustów Forest: Zbigniew Herbert’s “Expedition under Jonah”

Abstract

The article presents Zbigniew Herbert’s connections with the Suwałki Region, including the poet’s attitude to the province, especially in the first period of his work. At that time, the author tried his hand at writing short stories. The subject of the analysis is the tourist story Wyprawa pod Jonaszem (Expedition under Jonah) from 1955. The narrator describes the urban provincial space, Augustów and its surroundings, and the water route leading through the Augustów Forest. The story is based on a ship’s log, fragments of which are cited in the main narrative. The narrator is characterized by high literary culture; his sense of humor allows him to distance himself from the discomforts of a kayaking trip and the surveillance to which tourists are subjected. Zbigniew Herbert reveals his developed sense of observation, interest in tourism, and passion for kayaking. The analyzed work contains: motifs of competitive tourism, short descriptions of nature, references to customs, and minor ethnographic observations. The narrator-hero represents the attitude of a person who tries to act in accordance with the accepted rules.