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The last such edition of the Second Life of a Book

Although there is just a little over a week left until Christmas and most of us are turning our thoughts to the Christmas menu, shopping, and searching for the right Christmas tree and presents, you did not disappoint us yet again, and, as usual, turned up in crowds for the book swap at the Wyspiański Pavilion. And wanting to thank you for yet another year together, we have prepared some surprises. The still fresh canvas bags with The Second Life of a Book logo, filled with books, went like hot cakes.

PLEASE NOTE: because the campaign has expanded significantly and attracts hundreds of participants each month, at your request, we are changing its location to a larger one. From the coming year forward, we will meet at the Tourist Services Centre (ul. Powiśle 11). Apart from monthly swaps, special editions will traditionally be organised: on Children’s Day, during the Conrad Festival and the Book Fair in Krakow, the culinary swaps during the Najedzeni Fest! festival, the holiday swap at the MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as the audio-visual material swaps organised in cooperation with the Arteteka of the Regional Public Library. See you there!

2014 schedule:

26.01.2014 the Tourist Service Center (ul. Powiśle 11)
26.01.2014 Forum Przestrzenie (ul. Konopnickiej 28) – Najedzeni Fest! – exchange only cookbooks and culinary newspapers
23.02.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11)
30.03.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11) – special Prima Aprilis edition
06.04.2014 Forum Przestrzenie (ul. Konopnickiej 28) – Najedzeni Fest! – exchange only cookbooks and culinary newspapers
23-24.04.2014 the Regional Public Library in Krakow (ul. Rajska 1) – Malopolska Book Days “Książka i Róża”
11.05.2014 Arteteka (ul. Rajska 12, entry od ul. Szujskiego) – exchange only movies, CDs, computer games and audiobooks
25.05.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11)
01.06.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11) – Children’s Day at TSC – exchange only children’s books
22.06.2014 Forum Przestrzenie (ul. Konopnickiej 28) – Najedzeni Fest! – exchange only cookbooks and culinary newspapers
29.06.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11)
27.07.2014 MOCAK – Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow (ul. Lipowa 4)
31.08.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11)
28.09.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11)
20-26.10.2014 special edition during the 6th Conrad Festival
23-26.10.2014 EXPO Kraków (ul. Centralna 53) – 18th Interlational Book Fair in Krakow
26.10.2014 Forum Przestrzenie (ul. Konopnickiej 28) – Najedzeni Fest! – exchange only cookbooks and culinary newspapers
16.11.2014 Arteteka (ul. Rajska 12, entry ul. Szujskiego) – exchange only movies, CDs, computer games and audiobooks
30.11.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11)
14.12.2014 the Tourist Service (ul. Powiśle 11)

The Second Life of a Book is a joint campaign of the Krakow Festival Office and Bookeriada.pl. Everyone can take part in the free book swap; just bring at least one book and a maximum of ten books if they are in good condition. Books published till 1995 can be swapped only for those that were also published till that year, whereas newer books (published after 1995) can be swapped for every book available during the given book swap. Find out more about the campaign at: www.drugiezycieksiazki.pl.

Media partners: RMF Classic and Fragile.
Partners: Galeria Krakowska, Strefa Wolnego Czytania, Klubokawiarnia likeKonik

The project was subsided from the resources of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Magdalena Tulli – prose writer and translator, a guest of last year’s edition of the Conrad Festival – received the Julian Tuwim Literary Award during a festive gala yesterday. The award committee emphasised that in her works, Tulli “proves her great sensitivity to social issues”. The winner received a statuette and a cheque for PLN 50,000.

Magdalena Tulli is one of the most outstanding Polish contemporary writers. She received the Kościelski Award for her debut book Sny i kamienie (Dreams and Stones; 1995), and the book has been translated into: English, French, Russian, German, Italian, Czech, Croatian, Slovenian, Latvian, Hungarian, and Swedish, among others. She is a translator from French and Italian, awarded by Literatura na Świecie for her translation of Fleur Jaeggy’s collection of short stories, La paura del cielo (1999). Winner of the special award at the Gdynia Literary Festival (2007) and in 2012 for Włoskie szpilki. That same year, she was also honoured with the Gryfia Prize for Female Authors, awarded for the first time. The book also brought her the third nomination in a row for the Nike Literary Award. To date, she has published: Sny i kamienie (Dreams and Stones; 1995), W czerwieni (In Red; 1998), Tryby (Moving Parts; 2003), Skaza (Flaw; 2006), Kontroler snów (2007, under a pen name of Marek Nocny), and Włoskie szpilki (2011). Together with Sergiusz Kowalski, she published Zamiast procesu: raport o mowie nienawiści (2003) – an analysis of stereotypical representations of minority groups in the right wing press. In her prose works, she plays with fictional novel conventions and the role of the narrator, highlighting the coexistence of the real world and the imaginary world, subjective and universal experience.

The Julian Tuwim Literary Award is the pre-war Literary Award of the City of Łódź, reinstated this year. It is awarded for lifetime achievement, just like before the war, when authors such as Julian Tuwim, Andrzej Strug, and Zofia Nałkowska received it. The criterion that the writer needs to meet also refers to tradition. His or her oeuvre has to be of a high order and prove the writer’s sensitivity to social issues. The award is presented during the Pulse Literary Festival.

Pic. Michał Ramus, www.michalramus.com

Andrzej Stasiuk – one of the most outstanding contemporary Polish writers, a regular guest of the Conrad Festival – will be the central figure of an unusual benefit performance of Polish Radio Three tomorrow. The meeting will be hosted by Polish Radio Three reporter Michał Nogaś and actor Krzysztof Majchrzak. The event will be broadcast on the air of Programme Three, and the video broadcast will be available on the radio’s website. Tune in – listen to and watch the broadcast!

Andrzej Stasiuk needs no introduction for literature lovers. He delighted critics and readers alike with works such as: Mury Hebronu (The Walls of Hebron), Dukla, Opowieści galicyjskie (Tales of Galicia), Grochów, and his latest book, published in October, Nie ma ekspresów przy żółtych drogach.

He is the winner of many awards, the latest including the 2008 Vilenica International Literary Prize, the 2010 Gdynia Literary Award, the 2011 Stanisław Vincenz New Culture of New Europe Award of the Economic Forum and the City of Krakow, and the 2011 Annual Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in Literature. His books have been translated into nearly all European languages, as well as Korean. Stasiuk’s columns in Tygodnik Powszechny, Gazeta Wyborcza, Tytuł, OZON, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung also have a circle of regular readers. Together with his wife, Monika Sznajderman, he runs the Wydawnictwo Czarne publishing company, specialising in Central-European literature. He also played in Jerzy Zalewski’s film Gnoje, which was an adaptation of one of his novels, Biały kruk (White Raven).

Picture: Michał Ramus, www.michalramus.com

The National Museum in Krakow and the Wisława Szymborska Foundation would like to invite everyone to the screening of Andrzej J. Koszyk’s documentary Niektórzy lubią poezję (Some People Like Poetry; 1996), dedicated to Wisława Szymborska, which will take place on the 17th of December. This is the first documentary about Wisława Szymborska, produced after she was awarded the Nobel Prize (right after the Swedish Academy announced its decision, but before the winner went to Stockholm to the award ceremony).

Niektórzy lubią poezję is a surprisingly intimate film. The director provokes the poet to talk about herself, her childhood, the beginnings of her artistic career, about writing in general, and about her long-standing relationship with Kornel Filipowicz. In no other film did Szymborska let herself be talked into such personal reflections as in the one directed by Andrzej Koszyk. The film will be complemented by comments from Karl Dedecius, translator of Szymborska’s works into German, and fragments of classes with Jagiellonian University students held by Wisława Szymborska’s friend, Professor Teresa Walas, and by Professor Stanisław Balbus.

One of the leading characters of the film is also Krakow of the mid-1990s, captured by Andrzej Koszyk, just like Wisława Szymborska herself, at a special moment – on the eve of great transformations.

Andrzej J. Koszyk on Niektórzy lubią poezję:

I have shot several original documentaries of my own, among which the image of Wisława Szymborska (1996), the way I managed to capture her with the camera, must be the most important one. Without the Poet’s kindness and without the participation of cameraman Jacek Petrycki, my film would not have turned out as it did.

The screening will take place at the Szołayski House – a Branch of the National Museum in Krakow (pl. Szczepański 9) in the space of “Szymborska’s Drawer” – a unique exhibition dedicated to the Poet.

It will be held on Tuesday, the 17th of December, at 4:30 p.m. Admission to the screening is free. Due to a limited number of places, please pick up the tickets in advance. They are available at the cash register at the Księgarnia Młoda bookstore in the Szołayski House.

Andrzej J. Koszyk – born in Łódź, he studied at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU). For several dozen years, he has lived in Germany, where he works as a cameraman. He is the author of over a dozen original documentaries.

Niektórzy lubią poezję – Wisława Szymborska

A documentary, 30 min, Germany, 1996

Directed by: Andrzej J. Koszyk

Starring: Wisława Szymborska, Teresa Walas, Stanisław Balbus, Karl Dedecius, Jagiellonian University students.

Photo by Jakub Ociepa

11 people were honoured by Bogdan Zdrojewski, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage with Medals of Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis. The distinctions were awarded to outstanding and recognised actors, composers, conductors, and educators, as well as representatives of the literary circle. The ceremony took place on the 11th of December 2013 in the seat of the department.

Those decorated include Abel Murcia Soriano – poet, translator, promoter of Polish literature in the Spanish-speaking world, director of the Cervantes Institute in Krakow, and writer Jacek Dukaj.

Abel Murcia Soriano is a poet, translator, and promoter of Polish literature in the Spanish-speaking world. He has been connected with Poland for thirty years now and is currently the director of the Cervantes Institute in Krakow (previously in Warsaw). His excellent translations of the poetry of Wisława Szymborska, Tadeusz Różewicz, Ryszard Kapuściński, and Ewa Lipska, and the great effort frequently put into the process of finalising the publication of Polish poets’ poems abroad made Polish authors known and read not only in Spain, but also in Latin America. The proof of the quality and the effects of Mr. Murcia Soriano’s work is the fact that the translation of Wisława Szymborska’s volume Chwila, which he published together with Gerardo Beltrán, remained on the list of best-selling poetry volumes in Spain for many weeks. Source: the Book Institute.

Jacek Dukaj is one of the most interesting contemporary Polish prose writers. The premieres of his books are great literary events every single time. Author of Xavras Wyżryn, Czarne oceany (Black Oceans), Extensa, Córka łupieżcy (The Punderer’s Daughter), Inne pieśni (Different Chants), Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość (An Ideal Imperfection), Lód (Ice), Wroniec (The Crowe), and numerous short stories – including Katedra (The Cathedral) adapted for the screen by Tomek Bagiński – collected in volumes such as W kraju niewiernych (In the Land of the Unfaithful) and Król Bólu (King of Pain). Originator of the anthology entitled PL+50. Historie przyszłości. A many times award winner, including the Janusz A. Zajdel and Jerzy Żuławski awards, five-time nominee for Polityka’s Passports, as well as the Nike Literary Award, the Cogito Public Media Award, and the Angelus Award; winner of the Kościelski Award and the 2009 European Literary Award. Source: www.wydawnictwoliterackie.pl.

This will be a special edition of The Second Life of a Book, because it will be this year’s last! Don’t let the winter chill and unfavourable weather discourage you from visiting the Wyspiański Pavilion this coming Sunday (the 15th of December) in order to spend time surrounded by excellent books. But there is more! We have prepared a surprise for the fans of our campaign: an unusual competition – A Book Christmas Present. The first ten participants to bring ten books published after 1995 will receive bags with the campaign’s logo, filled with books. Get ready! This will be some event!

See you on Sunday (the 15th of December) at 3 p.m. at the Wyspiański Pavilion (pl. Wszystkich Świętych 2). Don’t forget to familiarise yourself with the competition’s terms and conditions. Good luck!

The Second Life of a Book is a joint campaign of the Krakow Festival Office and Bookeriada.pl. Everyone can take part in the free book swap; just bring at least one book and a maximum of ten books if they are in good condition. Books published till 1995 can be swapped only for those that were also published till that year, whereas newer books (published after 1995) can be swapped for every book available during the given book swap. Find out more about the campaign at: www.drugiezycieksiazki.pl. So far, 17 events helped over 5,000 people swap books, with nearly 15,000 books finding new owners. Over 800 volumes (out of 2,300 books donated to libraries by campaign participants) ended up at the Regional Public Library, with 124 more going to the Bibliopaths’ Zone.

Media partners: RMF Classic and Fragile.
Partners: Galeria Krakowska, Strefa Wolnego Czytania, Klubokawiarnia likeKonik

The project was subsided from the resources of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

On the 10th of December, the inaugural meeting of Krakow’s Zeszyty Literackie Club will take place at the Pauza in Garden club on ul. Rajska 12. The meeting with Marek Zagańczyk, editor of Zeszyty Literackie will be dedicated to the memory of Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, outstanding writer, traveller, war hero, author of Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese, published under the imprint of Zeszyty Literackie, who died two years ago.

This coming Wednesday (the 11th of December), we are meeting at Gołębnik – i.e. the Faculty of Polish Studies of Jagiellonian University on ul. Gołębia 14 – for this year’s last free book swap in The Second Life of a Book series of events. Before the fast-approaching Christmas, students will swap their favourite books. Volumes brought to the swap during the campaign’s previous editions will surely be available as well. The swap begins at 10 a.m. It will last until 8 p.m. We will be waiting for you in the hall inside the building on ul. Gołębia 14.

After the event ends, we would like to invite you to the seat of the Student Government of the Faculty of Polish Studies of Jagiellonian University (ul. Gołębia 14, room 57), where books which have not found new owners during previous swaps will wait for you during the office’s business hours.

PLEASE NOTE: the Wednesday edition of the campaign ends the series of book swaps at Gołębnik. In the new year, the campaign’s calendar will include new venues. More details to come.

We already know the results of the annual Book of the Year competition organised for the 25th time by the Polish Section of IBBY. This year’s winners of the literary awards are Malina Prześluga – debuting in the competition – and her Ziuzia and Ewa Przybylska – not published for quite some time – for Most na Missisipi, a novel for teenagers. The main prizes for graphics went to Marta Ignerska (yet again) for the illustrations and graphic design for Prawdziwa bajka by Mikołaj Łoziński, and Joanna Concejo for the illustrations for Książę w cukierni by Marek Bieńczyk.

The prize for the promotion of reading went to Marta Lipczyńska-Gil for creating and running the Kwartalnik o Książkach dla Dzieci RYMS quarterly and a vortal of the same name.

It is worth noting that as many as six among the thirteen books nominated for the graphics prize were published in Krakow:

Anita Andrzejewska and Andrzej Pilichowski-Ragno for illustrations for Anna Chachulska’s book Jak Stańczyk z dworzan zażartował (Zamek Królewski na Wawelu, Kraków 2013)
Agata Bogacka for illustrations for Zdarzenie nad strumykiem by Jakub Żulczyk (Bunkier Sztuki, Kraków 2013)
Urszula Palusińska for illustrations for Majn alef bejs by Jehoszue Kaminski (Żydowskie Stowarzyszenie Czulent, Kraków 2012)
Paweł Pawlak for illustrations for Alchemiczna komnata by Magdalena Skrabska (Zamek Królewski na Wawelu, Kraków 2013)
Marianna Sztyma for illustrations and graphic design of Legenda o głowie wawelskiej by Anna Chachulska (Zamek Królewski na Wawelu, Kraków 2013)
Konrad Świtała for illustrations and the concept of Zwierzątka (Bona, Kraków 2013)

On this occasion Jacek Majchrowski, the Mayor of the City of Krakow,  handed over a special letter addressed to the winners to the Jury.

The Association of Friends of Books for Youngsters – the Polish Section of IBBY annually awards the Book of the Year prize established in 1988 and financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Its aim is to promote high-quality, artistic Polish books for children and teenagers.

The prizes and distinctions are awarded to living native authors of the best books published throughout the year. At the same time, prizes for the most beautiful graphic design are awarded.

As part of the Book of the Year competition, prizes for people particularly active in the field of promoting books for children are always awarded as well.

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