Przestrzeń rosyjskości w literaturze łemkowskiej

The study attempts to identity the imaginary constructs presented in Lemko literature referred to Russia and Russianness. Social and geopolitical conditions of the formation of the Lemko ethnic identity played a key role in their creation. In the text the hypostases of Russianness, concretizing themselves in the Lemko identity discourse, are singled out: the myth of the righteous tsar – the defender of persecuted Ruthenians and the vision of Russia as a land of prosperity. Personal and textual examples of the impact of these myths are presented. Social utopias built on their basis are described. The consequences of the political interpretation of these mythical and cultural images for the fate of the entire Lemko community are indicated.