‘Possessed with Literature’. On the social and culture-forming potential of the literary festival co-organised by the Witold Gombrowicz Museum

Abstract

This paper concerns the festival ‘Possessed with Literature’ organised by the Witold Gombrowicz Museum of Wsola in cooperation with a range of local culture institutions since 2016. The festival is associated with the awarding of the Witold Gombrowicz Prize for the best prose debut. As a cycle of events, it is an original form of revitalising the Gombrowicz
thought by placing it in new contexts, with a particular emphasis on the idea of debut, youth, and defiance. The festival also contributes to defining the local social and cultural identity. Its organisation has triggered the development and diversification of the Wsola Museum’s activities. The institution has been offered an opportunity to make a major contribution to the contemporary literary life.