Joanna Majchrzyk Ua

Joanna Majchrzyk, Tadeusz Budrewicz, Jerzy Axer, Tadeusz Bujnicki. Ludzie i krasnoludki – powinowactwa z wyboru [People and Gnomes – Elective Affinities]. Warszawa: DiG, 2014. 278 S. paper, ISBN 978-83-7181-840-0. Reviewed by Jan Surman Published on H-Soz-u-Kult (February, 2016) Since Maria Konopnicka published “Little Or‐ 11). Contributors to the volume come from sever‐ phan Mary and the Gnomes” in 1896, little men al disciplines and thus topics range from the his‐ (seldom females) with red caps have been an inte‐ tory and ethnology of dwarfs, their literary repre‐ gral part of Polish tales and legends. Thanks to the sentations to current commercialization. Of par‐ underground surrealist movement “Orange Alter‐ ticular interest to readers should be the politiciza‐ native”, they morphed into a symbol of anti-com‐ tion, which I will discuss at the end of this review. munist opposition in the 1980s. Finally, given the Given the variety of topics, one of the guiding recent popularity of Grimm’s / Disney dwarfs, themes of this volume is the idea and representa‐ Tolkien dwarves and garden gnomes, they have tion of dwarfs in history and in contemporary become an integral part of popular culture. It was imagination. It only seems reasonable, that chil‐ only a matter of time, until gnomes I translate dren would be the frst to be asked. Danuta “krasnoludki” as gnomes, although dwarfs appear Waloszek reports on a survey on children aged 5– as their synonyms in this text. , like recently vam‐ 14 on their imagination of gnomes. Results show pires E.g. Ursula Reber (ed.), Vampirglaube und that never fgures like smurfs, pokémons, and magia posthuma im Diskurs der Habsburger‐ Middle-Earth heroes have replaced the traditional monarchie, Wien 2011; Thomas Bohn, Der Vampir images of gnome (p. 42). The author claims that – Ein europäischer Mythos, Köln (forthcoming). , children today are incapable of defining dwarfs develop into an object of historians’ and cultural precisely, because they lack functionality and en‐ scientists’ interest. The reviewed volume is an tertainment value. Moreover, children are con‐ outcome of a conference which took place in War‐ fronted with an ever more rationalized, technical saw 2009 and intends, as editors state in the intro‐ daily life, which replaces the magic and fantasy. duction, “to recapitulate what human sciences Renata Hołda counters, however, this thesis of have found out [about gnomes] so far” and in this growing rationality. The Cracow-based cultural way approach the question why the gnomes were anthropologist analyzing garden dwarf regards “unchanging component of European culture” (p. H-Net Reviews them exactly as a counterbalance to what Max exclusively positive reevaluation of gnomes has Weber called disenchantment of the world, and a caused their disappearance in Poland? realization of “necessity of a fairy tale” (p. 64). In This disappearance itself is worth scrutiniz‐ his overview of European dwarfs, which includes ing. Cultural anthropologist Ryszard Kantor men‐ Scandinavian Dwergars, British isles Brownies, tions that already in the 19th century vanishing of Urisks, Leprechauns/Clurichauns and Hispanic the gnomes was linked with growing poverty and Dwendes, Andrzej Rataj supports the notion that insecurity. For him, the disappearance – or re‐ gnomes facilitate dealing with the unknown and placement with garden “pseudo-gnomes” – tells help make sense of the mysterious. Rataj shows much more about our changing environment be‐ here that in most cultures the fgure of a gnome cause gnomes simply cannot adapt, or be adapted, enabled “entering and taming strange and myste‐ to the modern urban and industrial life (p. 258). rious other world” (p. 52). But this does not mean This disappearance might also have something to that gnomes are always friendly and helping, as do with the fact that gnomes were heroes of spo‐ several authors illustrate. Before Konopnicka’s ken tales and not always found their way onto the paradigmatic work which made them positive fg‐ printed pages. Iwona Węgrzyn for instance fnds ures and changed their names from kraśniaki to little about gnomes in the printed versions of no‐ krasnoludki, Polish folklore represented gnomes ble tales (stories told in the evenings by the fre‐ in a rather negative light. Violetta Wróblewska ex‐ places in noble mansions). Nevertheless, she plains how they were blamed for daily mishaps claims that gnomes must have been popular such as the souring of milk or more magical oc‐ among the Polish nobility, coming to their man‐ currences such as taking the place of children and sions “together with the women from the fold – behaving badly in their stead (pp. 150–151). wet nurses, nannies, cooks” (p. 163). However, there is no coherent understanding What do we learn about the places where of what or who gnomes actually were or how old‐ gnomes have survived? Wrocław is a good exam‐ er ideas relate to Konopnicka’s picture of them. ple, a city populated presently by around 300 steel Renata Dźwigoł identifies 16 monikers in ancient dwarf fgurines. Teresa Szostak explores their cur‐ and contemporary Polish, such as “skrzat” or rent popularity (p. 242–249): the city had no sig‐ “karzeł” or more old Polish “piędzimężyk” (the nificant gnome history until the “Orange Alterna‐ one with an ell-long-beard), Kashubian “under‐ tive” and then evolved from a gag of tourist office erczk” and “kurpel”. Most of these names are in 2001 to a landmark of Wrocław’s identity. Pri‐ linked with different roles and functions in every‐ vate and public institutions started creating their day life. Interestingly, while authors who write own fgurines and developed stories for them. An about Polish culture lament the disappearance / invented tradition resulted thus in invented sto‐ decline of traditional gnome representations, in ries, which now reinforce one another. Jolanta his essay about Greek kallikantzaros, Przemysław Lugowska and Ryszard Waksmund analyze these Kordos argues that in Greece they are still wide‐ stories in more detail. They discuss essays submit‐ spread (pp. 65–72). These malignant underground ted for a competition about Wrocław’s dwarfs in dwellers resurface for every Christmas season (25 2009. They argue that the fgure of gnome became December – 6 January) to punish undisciplined domesticated and got easily adapted into new so‐ housewives; children born during this time may cial realities – up to stories dealing with erotic transform into kallikantzaros if not treated with and gay topics (p. 239). Also writing techniques an antidote. Perhaps, one wonders, whether the differ widely, from conventional etiologic tales to Bulgakov-like grotesques in which an unem‐ 2 H-Net Reviews ployed Wrocław dweller saves a dwarf persecut‐ proaches. Janusz Tazbir concentrates on Konop‐ ed by Göring’s spirit (p. 233). Contrary to the larg‐ nicka’s “Little Orphan Mary” and fgure of chroni‐ er trend of their disappearance, in Polish Silesia, cler Master Tittle-Tattle. He accepts here views of gnomes did find a homey dwelling. Budrewicz who wrote 1997 that the chronicler Another place in Poland where gnomes are represents Konopnicka’s view on Polish history, omnipresent is Wieliczka Salt Mine, where Józef but disagrees that by satirist look at a fgure of Markowski (1860–1920) sculpted his frst gnome historian, she intended to challenge the late 19th figures already before the World War One, name‐ century infuential Cracow school and historiogra‐ ly gnomes playing soccer (pp. 74–75). Later under‐ phy it made. While such attempts to challenge his‐ ground fgures were only made in the 1960s and torians’ authority were not uncommon at the time produced for children tourists. In this case, too, Tazbir quotes here Anatole France’s „L'Île des Pin‐ tour guides and writers have been developing gouins“ (1908) and its protagonist Fulgence Tapir. new legends to suit the sculptures. Eventually, , Tazbir suggests that in this case, Budrewicz may Wieliczka promotion office developed the idea of in fact go too far in his interpretations (p. 182). He saline dwarfs (soliludki) to populate a special tour agrees, however, that children literature was of‐ for children called Saltland (Solilandia, pp. 78–79). ten carrier of hidden messages, understandable According to Marek Skubisz, dwarfs prove thus to only for the adults. have a high marketing value but their popularity To summarize, the book makes for an inter‐ comes at the expense of the older legends (p. 80). esting reading, although it is dwarfed by recent Last but not least, the political use of gnomes vampire-studies. The volume should be particu‐ unfortunately earns only little attention in the larly of interest to sociologists and cultural an‐ book which seems disappointing considering thropologists, who will fnd some refreshing ideas their role in political endeavors such as the Dutch as to how to look through the prism of gnomes at Provo-Movement, Polish Orange Alternative, Kurt contemporary (Polish) society. The authors pro‐ Gebauer’s “trpaslíci” (Czech) or Othmar Hörl’s pose, however, no new approaches on how to “Nazi gnomes” (Germany) to name only few. make gnomes important fgures for historical Tadeusz Budrewicz reminds his readers that analysis. The last two articles mentioned here are gnomes have been fgures of popular writing but hints in this direction, without a clearly elabo‐ throughout 19th and 20th centuries, which at the rated program. Regrettably, as Kantor remarks, time swayed more influence than high literature. even among Polish scholars gnomes are less pop‐ He analyzes Józef Chociszewski’s (1837–1914) chil‐ ular then angels (p. 255), a trend that is unlikely to dren and youth stories, claiming that they are in subside in the next years. This book makes a fact clandestine manifestos of the author’s politi‐ strong case for incorporating gnomes as analyti‐ cal program. Chociszewicz’s gnomes (karły) popu‐ cal and interpretative tools in the human sci‐ larize the so called organic work: “cult of work, ences.

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