Le voyage utopique de Wojciech Gutkowski : la Pologne se trouve-t-elle en Australie ?

Résumé

THE UTOPIAN JOURNEY OF WOJCIECH GUTKOWSKI:IS POLAND LOCATED IN AUSTRALIA?

This article analyses the forgotten novel of Wojciech Gutkowski 1775–1826 Podróż do Kalopei [Trip to Kalopea], which was published in 1817. The story takes place in Australia, in a small country founded by the Polish king Bolesław II the Bold. Gutkowski describes the history of the Kalop nation the name Kalop is an anagram of Polak, its social and political system where everyone is equal and the term private property does not exist. Despite the Polish background presented in the novel, the unique vision of the nation seems to express a universal message which is valid for all the countries. That is the reason why Gutkowski’s work is considered to be one of the most important pieces of classical utopian literature.