HOME AND LANDSCAPE IN JURAJ KUNIAK´S POETRY. SEEKING AND FORMING PERSONAL IDENTITY IN THE AUTHOR´S POEMS AND POETIC TEXTS

Abstract

: The primary goal of this paper is to elucidate the attachment to place (topophilia) throughout the poetry of Juraj Kuniak - the Slovak contemporary poet. Our aim is to focus on the most significant aspects of his poetic discourse pertaining to home, landscape, and identity. The origin of the phenomena is also explored as well as how it affected Juraj Kuniak and his writing process. From his poetry, we exemplify concepts such as root-edness, birthplace bond, and devotion to native land. The research-based evidence consists of decoding allusions and intertextual meanings which are incorporated in the selected collections of poems. Our analysis reveals the diversity of author´s poetic discourse and his interest in global issues. The paper concludes that Juraj Kuniak´s poetry could be used effectively in terms of cultivating our inner selves, love for landscape, homeland, national culture and language alongside the cultivation of key life values.