"Pokój – to całkiem dobra zabawa. Może jeszcze lepsza niż wojna!". O "Bitwie o Kozi Dwór" Józefa Hena

Abstract

The article attempts to interpret the novel "Bitwa o Kozi Dwór" (1955) from the perspective of space studies. Following the research of Yi-Fu Tuan and Florian Znaniecki, it analyses the experience of war playing as an important ritual for domesticating space and, at the same time, an important event in characters’ biography. Józef Hen’s novel tells the story of a group of children looking for a place to play football in pre-war Warsaw. Kozi Dwór seems to be perfect for this, but the boys from Obozowa play there most often. The two groups fight several times, but eventually join forces to form a football team and defeat boys from richer families in a match. The article proves that the ‘backyard war’ is an initiatory experience at the level of identification with a specific place, conflict resolution or interpersonal relations. Not only does Hen use a well-known theme of chil- dren’s literature, but at the same time tells an autobiographical story. The researcher posits that, as in "Nowolipie Street", the writer recalls a world that vanished during the Second World War, but does not elaborate on its end. The battle of Kozi Dwór, however, is not only a foreshadowing of the tragic fate of this generation, but also a recollection of the Arcadian landscape of childhood, when peacemaking was easier.