Stéphane Mallarmé i jego wiersze okolicznościowe: Rodzina Wrotnowskich

A considerable portion of Stéphane Mallarmé’s poetry belongs to the category of vers de circonstance (occasional verses). They include, among others, a series of quatrains called by the author 'Les Loisirs de la Poste'. Several of them were dedicated to a Polish family – Wrotnowski. The status, or the reputation, of this “genre” of Mallarmé’s work has been discussed by the critics, whose attitude towards them, as a legitimate part of the poet’s work, has not been unanimous. However, several aspects of Mallarmé’s aesthetics and formal experimentation present in these poems can speak in their favour as a part of the poet’s journey towards his ultimate ideal of poetry – The Book.