December Reading Series

Shortly after the November edition, we have the pleasure to invite your to the Bomba club to the last meeting under Ha!art: Reading Series. At the December meeting we will have the opportunity to listen to Aleksandra Wojtaszek who will present her humorous analysis of Balkan stereotypes, and to Jędrzej Marowiecki and his reportage on myths, and in particular the myth of Central and Eastern Europe. Łukasz Grzesiczak will read the article about Czechophiles, whilst Marek Matyjanka will present a text about pseudo-ancient architecture of Skopje. The meeting will end with Patrik Oriešek’s gonzo impressions on Poland. The Reading Series will be moderated by Ha!art magazine editors: Kaja Puto, Ziemowit Szczerka and Zbigniew Rokita. Don’t miss out!

19 December 2014, Friday, 8.00 pm
Bomba, 2/1 Szczepański, Krakow

Reading Series serves to present literature and bring together the writers’ community. It’s the highest time for the City of Literature to try and test this form of organisation of literary life. The initiative has been launched by the editors and activists gathered around the Ha!art publishing house, foundation, magazine and portal.

The Krakow Reading Series consists of regularly held meetings, in which writers, essayists and translators read excerpts from their works. The project authors spare no effort to create a permanent forum for literature-focused meetings. During the meetings under the series you can also listen to works on which the writers are still working, the most recent works by well-known authors and debutants selected by project curators.

The Wisława Szymborska Foundation has started qualifications in the 3rd edition of the international poetry competition. The Wisława Szymborska Award for the best volume of poetry of the year 2015 includes a prize of PLN 200 000. The 3rd edition will cover volumes published in 2014.

Volumes of poetry originally published in Polish or translated into Polish in the year preceding the granting of the award are eligible to take part in the contest. Candidates can be proposed by: publishing houses, representatives of cultural institutions, literature-oriented media, members of the honorary jury and other persons. Applications should be sent to the Foundation’s address till the 15th of January 2015.

In 2015, the Wisława Szymborska Poetry Award will be granted for the third time. Previously, it was received by Krystyna Dąbrowska for the volume Białe krzesła (White Chairs) and Łukasz Jarosz for the volume Pełna krew (Full Blood) in 2013 and by Julia Hartwig for the volume Zapisane (Written Down) in 2014. In 2013, 176 books were proposed for the Award, and in 2014 – 171 volumes.

The purpose of the Award is to popularise the branch of literature that is less and less often met, namely: poetry. The organisers wish not only to attract readers’ attention but also to encourage editors to publish works of Polish authors and Polish translations of foreign poetry, which is quite rare at the Polish bookselling market. Opposing such phenomena as haste, superficial participation in culture or the domination of mass literature of poor quality, the organisers of the Award want to appreciate poetry as an art that is difficult but important. The Award is given to poets who can keep their independence, create their own world independent of the socio-political context and use a masterly diction in their writing.

More information at: link

The UNESCO Cities of Literature family is growing! Today we welcome four new cities into the Creative Cities Network in the field of literature: Dunedin, Granada, Heidelberg, and Prague! Congratulations to all the cities on their successful bid. We look forward to many years of fruitful literary and artistic collaborations! For more information about the Creative Cities Network and new members, go to www.unesco.org.

Krakow became a UNESCO City of Literature in October 2013 and joined Edinburgh, Melbourne, Dublin, Iowa City, Reykjavik, and Norwich.

The Krakow Festival Office and Ha!art invite you to the ninth edition of the Reading Series. The November edition will open with an acoustic performance by Jarosław Tochowicz, an interpretation of Nick Montfort’s World Clock; you will be then taken on a journey around North and Central America, and the Caribbean with Szczepan Ligęza’s journal, and also listen to Justyna Czechowska’s Polish translation of Tove Jansson’s Messages, planned to be published in February next year. With his excerpts of Brazilian prose, Gabriel Borowski will add to the rich programme of the meeting, which will be crowned by Olga Szmidt – the editor-in-chief of the Popmoderna magazine – who will present her new book Korespondent Witkacy. The presentation will precede an official premiere of the book.

The Krakow Reading Series takes the form of regular meetings at which writers, essayists and translators read excerpts of their works. The project is aimed to present literature and bring writers together. You will have the opportunity to listen to works on which writers are still working, the most recent works of renowned authors and debut authors who will be selected by the project curators.

The Reading Series will be moderated by Magdalena Potrawiak
Friday, 28 November 2014, 7 P.M.
Bomba, pl. Szczepański 2/1, Krakow

Reykjavik UNESCO City of Literature’s Reykjavik Reads Festival held annually during the month of October, received the 2014 Jónas Hallgrímsson Award on Icelandic Language Day. The award is given by the Icelandic Ministry of Culture and Education for outstanding projects in the field of language and literature and is named after one of Iceland’s most loved poets, Jónas Hallgrímsson, born on November 16, 1807.

See: link

The Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature’s One Book Two Book Children’s Literature Festival was awarded the 2014 Collaboration Award from the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance. The award is presented to an organization in recognition of an outstanding project done in collaboration with other alliance members. The festival was produced in collaboration with the Iowa City Public Library, the Coralville Public Library, and the Iowa Children’s Museum, among others.

See: link

Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature’s Great Scott! Campaign won the City Award from Creative Edinburgh, the support body for creative industry businesses and individuals in Edinburgh. The City Award recognises an outstanding creative contribution or activity that has promoted Edinburgh nationally or internationally. The Great Scott! Campaign saw the words of author Sir Walter Scott placed on the floor, walls and walkways of Edinburgh’s main train station, and distribution of 25,000 free copies of a specially created book, in multiple formats. The campaign marked 10 years of Edinburgh’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature.

See: link

There will be no queues, no shortage of goods and no need to pay! These wonders will happen, and not for the first time! On the 21^st of November, the next round of the Czytaj KRK! Campaign, already the third one this year, is starting. In Krakow, thanks to the mobile application, we will read 10 best-selling e-books for free. On the virtual shelf, this time you will find books by Szczepan Twardoch, Agata Passent, Elton John, Adam Zagajewski, Przemek Kossakowski, Szymon Hołownia, and others. Scan and read!

In the coming November evenings, we will be warmed up by strong coffee and powerful literature, thanks to the Czytaj KRK! application. QR codes, enabling the free lending of books, will be found on stands placed on the tables in Krakow cafés and pubs. Traditionally, nearly 100 posters will be distributed in Krakow libraries and cultural institutions. The complete list of locations is to be found at www.qr.miastoliteratury.pl.

To be able to use the Czytaj KRK! application, you just need a smart phone or a tablet equipped with Android or iOS operational system. Similarly to previous rounds, also this time the down-loaded e-books will remain active for 30 days. Czytaj KRK! is an unprecedented joint project of the Krakow Festival Office and Woblink, a Polish leading e-book platform.

The books offered in the third round are:

• Czy jesteś psychopatą (English original title: The Psychopath Test)by Jon Ronson (Wydawnictwo Insignis)
• B jak Bauhaus. Alfabet współczesności (English original title: B is for Bauhaus: An A-Z of the Modern World)by Deyan Sudjic (Wydawnictwo Karakter)
• Morfina by Szczepan Twardoch (Wydawnictwo Literackie)
• Elton John. Miłość jest lekarstwem. O życiu, pomaganiu i stracie (English original title: Love Is the Cure: On Life, Loss, and the End of AIDS) by Elton John (Wydawnictwo Sine Qua Non)
• Kto to Pani zrobił? by Agata Passent (Wydawnictwo Wielka Litera)
• Staś i Nel by Leszek Talko (Wydawnictwo Znak Emotikon)
• Holyfood by Szymon Hołownia (Wydawnictwo Znak)
• Asymetria by Adam Zagajewski (Wydawnictwo a5)
• Bursztynowa dziewczyna. Anna Jantar we wspomnieniach by Mariola Pryzwan (Wydawnictwo Marginesy)
• Na granicy zmysłów by Przemek Kossakowski (Wydawnictwo Otwarte)

We remind you that people outside Krakow, unable to scan QR codes from data carriers available in the city, can read for free excerpts from all books presented in this round, thanks to the Czytaj KRK! application. At www.qr.miastoliteratury.pl, you will find all information concerning the campaign and the list of books available.

Czytaj KRK! is an expansion of the 2013 project known as the Virtual Library of Krakow. It involved placing posters that resembled full bookcases at bus and tram stops in six Polish cities, featuring QR codes that, after having been scanned, allowed to download free excerpts from nearly 70 latest and bestselling books. This unprecedented campaign, aimed at the promotion of reading with the use of modern technologies, attracted the attention of major national media and readers. The free excerpts had nearly 20 000 downloads in total.

The publishers participating in the third round of the campaign are: Insignis, Karakter, Sine Qua Non, Znak Emotikon, Znak, Marginesy, a5, Wielka Litera, Wydawnictwo Literackie and Wydawnictwo Otwarte.

The books are recommended by the campaign’s media patrons: LubimyCzytać.pl web portal, Radio Kraków and the Dziennik Polski daily.

The a5 publishing house and the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology in Krakow have the pleasure to invite you to a meeting devoted to the long-awaited volume of Ryszard Krynicki’s poetry – Haiku. Haiku mistrzów (Haiku. Haiku of Masters).

 
The first collection of poems by one the leading contemporary poets have written in the last eight years contains so far unpublished haikus which he has created over a dozen years or so, as well as poems which show his approach to this form of poetic expression and translations of Japanese masters. Next to the author, another participant in the meeting is Agnieszka Żuławska – Umeda, a Polish born Japanese linguist, translator of Japanese literature, an outstanding specialist in haiku and renku poetry.

 
The meeting will be moderated by Anna Nasiłowska
Monday, 8th December, 6.00 pm
Main Hall, Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology
26. Marii Konopnickiej Street

 
Admission is free. Don’t miss out!

Today, at 7.00 pm, a multimedia presentation of Krakow – UNESCO City of Literature will be held at the Polish Institute in Vienna. A representative of the Krakow Festival Office will acquaint the audience with Krakow seen from its most beautiful angle – through literature. Immediately after the presentation, Magdalena Tulli, the author of novels: W czerwieni (In Red), Tryby (Moving Parts) and Sny i Kamienie (Dreams and Stones) will meet with visitors.

Let’s remind our readers that on 21st October 2013 after three years of efforts – Krakow was officially declared the UNESCO City of Literature. Thus it became the seventh city in the world to hold this prestigious title (after Edinburgh, Melbourne, Iowa City, Dublin, Reykjavik and Norwich).

What Krakow and Edinburgh have got in common, what attractions awaited the youngest on the Sunday afternoon at the Festival, excellent and unusual book covers and the changing landscape of Sweden – this is what the last day of the 6^th edition of the Conrad Festival was devoted to.

Why Edinburgh? Not only because it is the city of Harry Potter, Doctor Jekyll and Waverley. Edinburgh is also the place where James Robertson set his novels. The city has fascinated writers for a long time, because it is a good space for many creative activities. Just like Krakow.

For one year now, Krakow and Edinburgh have been linked to one another with a special bond – both cities hold the prestigious title of the UNESCO City of Literature. It is a great honour and at the same time, a challenge. It is this very theme that was discussed at special meetings.

Earlier, a series of literary events for children took place. First, the youngest had the opportunity to prove their creativeness right after the projection of the film Dziwne przygody Koziołka Matołka (Strange Adventures of Goat the Fool), and next – together with Marek Bieńczyk – they got to know a certain rabbit.

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Przemysław Dębowski has been one of the leading book designers for years. He talked about his job, successes, reflections and about the book market tendencies during an afternoon meeting in the De Revolutionibus bookshop.

On Sunday as well, The French Institute in Poland, at a special press conference, announced that for the 17^th time, a jury composed of students representing twelve universities from all over Poland chose the laureate of the award called Lista Goncourtów: polski wybór 2014 (The Goncourts’ List: The Polish Choice 2014). This year’s winner is David Foenkinos and his novel Charlotte.
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In the evening, at the Palace under the Rams, readers met Dariusz Czaja. His latest book, Kwintesencje. Pasaże barokowe (Quintessence. Baroque Passages) has just been published. The conversation on the theme of this volume was moderated by Ryszard Koziołek. Additionally, Czaja presented some of his reflections about the essay genre (still not very well received at universities), he also paid attention to the specific presence of the subject “I” in his texts.

In humanist studies, 2 plus 2 does not always have to equal 4 – said Czaja. Sometimes, it can be 4 and a half; sometimes, even 5. When I am saying ‘I’, it does not mean that I am devoting the text on the altar of excessiveness or impressions. Surely, a certain kind of honesty and an attempt at objectifying one’s judgements are important.

Koziołek, telling a few words about Czaja’s book, paid attention to the circumstance that the book’s sources are the love of baroque music and the fascination with historically informed performing of this kind of music. I wanted to share with the readers what happened to me when I listened to it – said the author of Kwintesencje. – I looked for an interlocutor whom I could take by the hand and lead in my direction.

When asked if music was for him a metaphysical or rather a physiological experience, Czaja answered: At this point, I have to confess that I am more like an animal. If I can feel a thrill on my back, it means that the thing is good. So a physiological criterion is decisive.
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The Festival was closed with the meeting with Maciej Zaremba-Bielawski, who talked about the changing landscape of Sweden. Changing for worse, let’s add. For the phenomenon of cutting down forests has for some time increased.

It is odd, since Sweden is the leader in taking care of water quality, everyone pays also attention to litter recycling, but there is no protection of environment as culture – noticed the participants of the meeting with Zaremba Bielawski.

The reporter admitted that for some time the forests’ owners have rebelled against cutting down trees, however their protest has got a limited reach. From time to time, someone calls one of the numerous forest owners and proposes to buy a given terrain for millions of Euros. As a result, the new owner clears the forest, which becomes a wood factory – said the journalist.

Zaremba-Bielawski, together with the guests and participants of the last Festival meeting, paid attention to the need of ecological thinking. This is not so simple, of course. However, the need of civilizational understanding constituted – in the light of the leading motto of this year’s event, Shared Worlds – an apt punch line of the 6^th Conrad Festival.
The Conrad Festival is a joint undertaking of the City of Krakow, Krakow Festival Office and the Tygodnik Powszechny Foundation.