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The article discusses the references to Faust by Johann Wolfgang Goethe present in the works of Czesław Miłosz. They appear in his poems, as well as in essays and non-literary texts, e.g. interviews. The references to Goethe in Miłosz’s work are also of interest, especially included in autobiographical statements. The article attempts to indicate certain regularities concerning the occurrence of intertextual references to Goethe’s tragedy, related to the poet’s worldview, his aesthetic choices and biographical context. The considerations included in the article lead to the conclusion that the hero of the tragedy symbolises the content which, after World War II, made it possible to name and understand the processes that led to the catastrophe of war and the rejection of humanity. Faust can be a tool for self-characterisation or an accusation against German culture and the cult of science and progress, leading to the alienation of the individual., The article discusses the references to Faust by Johann Wolfgang Goethe present in the works of Czesław Miłosz. They appear in his poems, as well as in essays and non-literary texts, e.g. interviews. The references to Goethe in Miłosz’s work are also of interest, especially included in autobiographical statements. The article attempts to indicate certain regularities concerning the occurrence of intertextual references to Goethe’s tragedy, related to the poet’s worldview, his aesthetic choices and biographical context. The considerations included in the article lead to the conclusion that the hero of the tragedy symbolises the content which, after World War II, made it possible to name and understand the processes that led to the catastrophe of war and the rejection of humanity. Faust can be a tool for self-characterisation or an accusation against German culture and the cult of science and progress, leading to the alienation of the individual.

In this article, the author discusses and reviews the first Polish critical edition of Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily (2015). The literary text was preceded by two elaborate scientific descriptions which the author of this article refers to. The primary focus is on the extensive German tradition of interpreting The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily (Das Märchen, 1795), because the main spur of its development is the difficulty or inability to obtain its unambiguous interpretation due to the high degree of symbolism and the esotericism of this literary work. Both critical texts feature the following interpretation grounds: historic-literary – emphasizing the role of the literary circle of the Weimar Goethe and Schiller; historical – stressing the importance of the events associated with the French Revolution and its impact on the situation in Germany; philosophical – represented by Rudolf Steiner and his anthroposophic reading of this work; and poetological – focusing on the properties and functions of its poetics. Among the existing explication there is a lack of genology of the fairy tales and a lack of the placing the work in a broader context of ideas and works of Goethe, which, if taken into account could help to clarify its meanings.

In this article, the author discusses and reviews the first Polish critical edition of Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily (2015). The literary text was preceded by two elaborate scientific descriptions which the author of this article refers to. The primary focus is on the extensive German tradition of interpreting The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily (Das Märchen, 1795), because the main spur of its development is the difficulty or inability to obtain its unambiguous interpretation due to the high degree of symbolism and the esotericism of this literary work. Both critical texts feature the following interpretation grounds: historic-literary – emphasizing the role of the literary circle of the Weimar Goethe and Schiller; historical – stressing the importance of the events associated with the French Revolution and its impact on the situation in Germany; philosophical – represented by Rudolf Steiner and his anthroposophic reading of this work; and poetological – focusing on the properties and functions of its poetics. Among the existing explication there is a lack of genology of the fairy tales and a lack of the placing the work in a broader context of ideas and works of Goethe, which, if taken into account could help to clarify its meanings., In this article, the author discusses and reviews the first Polish critical edition of Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily (2015). The literary text was preceded by two elaborate scientific descriptions which the author of this article refers to. The primary focus is on the extensive German tradition of interpreting The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily (Das Märchen, 1795), because the main spur of its development is the difficulty or inability to obtain its unambiguous interpretation due to the high degree of symbolism and the esotericism of this literary work. Both critical texts feature the following interpretation grounds: historic-literary – emphasizing the role of the literary circle of the Weimar Goethe and Schiller; historical – stressing the importance of the events associated with the French Revolution and its impact on the situation in Germany; philosophical – represented by Rudolf Steiner and his anthroposophic reading of this work; and poetological – focusing on the properties and functions of its poetics. Among the existing explication there is a lack of genology of the fairy tales and a lack of the placing the work in a broader context of ideas and works of Goethe, which, if taken into account could help to clarify its meanings.