Published: 2020-08-211

Kajka dies as a Masurian and a Pole

Janusz Jasiński
Echa Przeszłości
Section: ARTICLES
https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.5755

Abstract

In 1858, Michał Kajka attended a part-Polish, part-German public school. He began to write poems in 1884, always in Polish. Initially, he identified himself as a Prussian Masurian, but by 1918, his Polish national identity gained a full voice. Jerzy Łapo of Węgorzewo (2018) claims that although Kajka loved the Polish language, in particular the Masurian dialect, he did not fully identify with the Polish nation. And yet, based on scientific evidence, Kajka was recognized as a Pole by the Germans, Masurians, Warmians and Poles in 1919–1940. Kajka himself claimed to be Polish. He remained a Masurian-Pole even after Poland had lost the war in 1939.

Keywords:

Michał Kajka (1858–1940), Masurian region, national identity, Masurian Prussian, Masurian Pole

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Citation rules

Jasiński, J. (2020). Kajka dies as a Masurian and a Pole. Echa Przeszłości, (XX/2). https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.5755

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