The book ”Tradycja, rzecz osobista”. Julian Przyboś wobec dziedzictwa poezji (“Tradition, a personal thing”. Julian Przyboś on poetic heritage) shows an unusually personal character of the dialogue of the avant-gardist with the tradition, in which, owing to the meaningful choices and interpretations of old texts, are manifested not only Przyboś’s emotions, but also the principles of the functioning of his techniques, the most important premises of his poetics and the fundamental elements of his world view. The subsequent chapters analyse the attitude of Julian Przyboś towards the achievements of the poets who are the most important to him: Jan Kochanowski, Franciszek Karpiński, Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Cyprian Norwid and Bolesław Leśmian. Each of them is, in J. Przyboś’s impression, a creator of timeless and immortal beauty, similarly to the builders of the mediaeval cathedral. The reception of their works affects his way of perceiving the world and the manner in which he describes it, superimposing, like a peculiar afterimage, onto Przyboś’s poetic visions. His stance on cultural heritage reflects the most important choices regarding Przyboś’s aesthetics and outlook, and the research of the model of reception of the works of his great predecessors allows his poetry to be reinterpreted.