Traces of forgotten identity. On the role of sources in the biography of Janusz Korczak

The figure of Henryk Goldszmit (Janusz Korczak) is the topic of many bibliographical publications. In the face of a lack of strictly scholarly works in this field, texts, in which the boundary between fact and author’s interpretation is very fluid, seem to gain more importance. The aim of the article is to point out the issues stemming from this, and to highlight the importance of bibliographical works based on archival research and reliable criticism of sources. Juxtaposing the first chapters of Korczak. Próba biografii [Korczak. An Attempt at a biography] by Joanna Olczak-Ronikier with a documentary take on the genealogy of the Old Doctor allows one to state that even those narratives, which are the most suggestive and attractive to the reader, cannot fill the gaps in historical knowledge. Without referring to the archives, verifying arguments regarded as obvious, or without a philological reflection on the texts by Korczak, the chances to correct the errors which build up and shape the contemporary reception of the legacy of Henryk Goldszmit, diminish.