Jan Burnatowski: Człowiek pomiędzy Erosem a Tanatosem – protagonista „Balu wdów i wdowców” Mariana Pankowskiego

The subject of this article is the recent novel by Marian Pankowski, Widows and Widowers’ Ball, viewed in the light of the 20th century French anthropology of death. The article also shows the thematic changes which occurred in the prose of the author of Matuga.

The thanathological analysis concentrates on the cocntacts of the main character with the women, which at the same time are a from of taming the idea of, or preparing oneself to, death, through the motif of seduction, realized both on the realistic and symbolic planes. The article also shows the thematic parallel with Ingamar Bergman’s film, The Seventh Seal.