Two men on one road: Erotic triangles in Marek Hłasko’s prose

Abstract

The main goal of this paper was to present relations between men in Marek Hłasko’s prose in the framework informed by new perspectives on gender, men’s studies and René Girard’s interpretation of the concept of a love triangle. At first sight the characters are connected only by male brotherhood and inseparable friendship. Homoeroticism and relationships bordering on pederasty are hidden behind the veil of close companionship. However, tightening bonds within male homosocial relations between characters resulted in a deepening sense of isolation and the desire to escape. The interpretation of selected extracts led me to the conclusion that male figures in Hłasko’s writings are not, as previously presumed, merely prisoners of the stereotyped modes of behavior engendered in biological sex.