Interludia Horatiana: Jan Lechoń, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Jacek Dehnel

The term interlude, which refers to a short drama designed to put in a different light or deconstruct the main play it is placed next to, can be used, when defined more broadly, to explore the network of intertextual references in three poems conceived as follow-ups to a classical model. They are ‘Vides ut alta stet…’ by Jan Lechoń, ‘Pies horacjański’ [Horace’s dog] by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, and ‘Quintus H.F. ginie w bitwie pod Filippi’ [Quintus H.F. dies in the Battle of Philippi] by Jacek Dehnel (from his debut collection Żywoty równoległe [Parallel Lives]). Although these poems are hard to compare given their diverse poetic and aesthetic allegiances, it was still possible to sift through and assess the relative significance of all their intertextual references and allusions. As might be expected, the three authors speak their mind freely about Horace and his achievement, even if their opinions – based, for the most part, on well-worn commonplaces – appear contentious and contradictory.