The Great City of Bialystok. Urban Prose of Sokrat Janowicz

Abstract

This article examines works by Sakrat Janovich’s considered in the context of urban prose. It describes the image of Bialystok created by the writer and analyses the reasons for which it was shaped in a certain manner. It explains the parabolic meaning resulting from experiencing the city, which is a scene of a changing world and axiology. It shows the contrast between the countryside and urban areas and presents systems of values attached to them. It addresses the problem of uprooting and processes of the assimilation of the Belarusian minority which are criticised by the author.