The grand narrative of capitalism continues at the beginning of the 21st century, though in a different (postmodern) key from its previous forms. In such circumstances, the New Leftist predilection for colourful peripheries – something it has unwittingly shared with postmodernism – must give way to a tendency for ethically responsible reflection.

This anthology of texts on Polish socialist realist literature, written from the early 1980s to date, depicts a comprehensive picture of this literary phenomenon: from its holistic interpretations, analyses of the general poetics and specific literary and political texts, to descriptions of how institutions of literary life functioned in this era.