Joanna Rapacka, a Literary Historian and Comparatist (1939-2000)

Abstract

Esteemed Polish scholar, expert in Croatian studies, Polish studies, and comparative literature, Joanna Rapacka (1939-2000) published various books and a large number of treatises on Croatian literature and culture ranging from the Middle Ages to the period of Modernism. All her treatises, whether on Croatian, Croatian-Polish, or Croatian-comparative literature topics, pose relevant questions not only about Croatian literature but also about its deeper essence, its ideas, as well as its ideological, socio-political, or anthropological contexts. Insightful in identifying the underlying processes in the shaping of Croatian literary culture, Joanna Rapacka asks a series of pertinent questions, providing answers which observe Croatian literary and cultural history in a completely new way. Her work greatly contributes to familiarising the Polish public with Croatian culture and its connections not only with Polish culture but also with its European context.