TEXTUAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN RÓŻANIEC Z GRANATÓW (THE ROSARY OF GARNETS) BY KSAWERY PRUSZYŃSKI AND BRANSOLETKA Z GRANATÓW (THE GARNET BRACELET) BY ALEXANDER KUPRIN

Halina Mazurek

Zakład Historii Literatury Rosyjskiej Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach

Abstract

There is no irrefutable evidence that a writer, reporter, war correspondent, and diplomat Ksawery
Pruszyński drew his inspiration from Kuprin’s story. The fact that the title of one of the best works
written by the Russian writer is paraphrased does not prove anything. However, the textual material
of the story written by the Polish writer clearly indicates a strong association with The Garnet
Bracelet that was written much earlier. Pruszyński was an erudite, a great specialist in European
culture, including Russian culture. Thus it cannot be denied that he retained the known themes, motifs
and images in his subconsciousness and later used them in his fiction. Both stories discussed and
interpreted in the article share a number of common features that are revealed in the creation of the
main character, in the role and significance of the eponymous subject indicated by the writers, and
even in the composition which in both cases is based on contrast.

Keywords:

likelihood, association, musical motif, spirituality, love, bracelet, rosary