EN
The paper discusses the issue of identity in the literary work of Paul Zech, an author living in exile from 1933 until his death in 1946. The reflections are introduced by information about the current research of cultural studies on the subject of identity. The factors which shape one’s identity include, among others, topographic and cultural space, the feeling of belonging to a place. The presentation of Zech’s work begins with quoting some important facts about his life and his correspondence with the writers contemporary with him about the observations about South America. The author’s scope of interest includes, among others, social problems in Buenos Aires, the multiculturalism of Argentina’s capital and its influence on the shaping of identity. The analysis of the literary texts allows to state that the exile literature of Zech is dominated by the identity of the excluded one, who shows reluctance to fully integrate with the new homeland. The leitmotifs running through his work are the sense of guilt, detachment from a place and alienation.