“CLIMB MOUNT FUJI... AND COMPREHEND LIFE TO THE DREGS” – FACINATION WITH LAND OF THE RISING SUN IN ANTONI FERDYNAND OSSENDOWSKI’S SHORT STORIES

Abstract

The paper attempts to analyse Szkarłatny kwiat kamelii, a collection of short stories written by Antoni Ferdynand Ossendowski. The paper focuses on the clearly dominant cognitive function of the stories, as well as the author’s fascination with the Land of the Rising Sun. The text concentrates on the short stories’ protagonists, whose perspective the author used to demonstrate the customs, history, religion and, philosophy of the people of an exotic country to the European reader. Next to the glorification of the presented phenomena, the dominating element of all the stories is the depiction of nature as a force influencing and shaping human destiny.