CERVANTES’ DON QUIJOTE IN POLISH AND RUSSIAN CRITICISM (BASED ON ZOFIA SZMYDTOWA’S AND VLADIMIR NABOKOV’S MATERIAL)

Monika Karwacka

Instytut Filologii Wschodniosłowiańskiej Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach

Abstract

The paper deals with the critical texts of two writers / researchers whose roots come from
Russia and interests are focused on similar literature areas among other things on Don Quijote.
Zofia Szmydtowa a Russian researcher whose career was developed mainly in Poland and Vladimir
Nabokov, whose critical and literature analysis were conceived outside Russia decided to make an
attempt to decode the Cervantes’ masterpiece. Both authors have their own concept concerning
interpretation and analysis of the Cervantes’ novel. The author of the paper tries to find similarities
in their understanding and critical idiom, discovering the justification of such different critical texts.
Although texts were written in different circumstances and environments they have a lot in common
what is shown in the paper.

Keywords:

Nabokov, Szmydtowa, Cervantes, Don Quijote, critics