Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna and Nadia Surovceva – the First Women in Diplomatic Positions in Poland and Ukraine in the Light of Memories and Archives

Abstract

The article shows the activities of the first women in diplomatic posts in Poland (Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna) and Ukraine (Nadia Surowcowa) based on their memoirs. Using the examples of Iłłakowiczówna's memoir books Ścieżka obok drogi, Z rozbitego  fotoplastykonu, Niewczesne wynurzenia, Trazymeński zając oraz  Спогади by Surowcowa, the author traces the specifics of their accounts of their diplomatic work and learns what facts of the diplomatic service they deliberately noted and what they overlooked. Iłłakowiczówna's memoirs have been identified as short essays, mostly without describing events, but often with humour, while Surowcowa's memoirs have been identified as depictions of events in chronological order, reliably filled in with the names of people she met. It is pointed out that errors and gaps in memory influenced some recurrent errors in historiography, as information important for the reconstruction of their diplomatic activities often escaped the authors' attention. However, the memoirs of Iłłakowiczówna, published in different years, and Surowcowa, published after her death, give an idea of their activities in the field of diplomacy. A full analysis of Iłłakowiczówna's and Surowcowa's contributions to diplomacy needs to be completed through the study of archival documents and the press.