Roman Dmowski is simply a character that inspires emotions – admiration, opposition and frequently and misunderstanding. Dr hab. Krzysztof Kosiński in his book "Rebellion of the Polish soul. On the political and literary creation of Roman Dmowski” I don't propose a simple court.
Instead, it gives the reader a tool to think independently – it analyses the achievements of Dmowski not as a collection of historical artifacts, but as an expression of a deep dispute over identity, affiliation and imagination of Poland.
Dr. Kosiński's book is not a biography, although it presents crucial facts from Dmowski's life. This is primarily an effort to realize how his political thought connected with cultural and literary reflection. The author shows that Dmowski was not only a politician, but besides a writer, a thinker, a man immersed in the ideas of his era who reacted to them with passion and conviction.
The title "rebellion of the Polish soul" is simply a metaphor of opposition to the romanticist pattern of Polishness – emotional, messianic, victim-oriented and suffering. Dmowski proposed an alternative: rational, national, based on state interest and loyalty to the community. Kosiński does not measure whether this imagination was right – shows its sources, consequences and influence.
The peculiar value of the book is the skillful combination of analysis of the language, kind and communicative of Dmowski with a wider historical context. The author does not run distant from hard subjects – anti-Semitism, authoritarianism, the thought of national superiority – but alternatively of moralizing, he asks: where did these views come from? Why were they so powerful? What were the consequences?
This reading is crucial not only for historians and political scientists, but besides for those who want to realize why certain ideas return in Polish public life. Kosiński writes easily, but without simplification. He's not moving from controversy, but he's not looking for a sensation either. This is simply a reliable, well documented work that allows you to look at Dmowski differently – as a man of blood and bone, not just a symbol or a myth.
At a time erstwhile public debate frequently boils down to slogans and simplifications, “Rebellion of the Polish soul” This is an example of how to talk about hard matters with respect for facts and readers. It is worth reading – not to agree or disagree with Dmowski, but to better realize the dispute over Poland.
