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The 4th Miłosz Festival

The 4th Miłosz Festival kicks off on May 14th. The 2015 edition of this great poetry festival will run under the theme A Book of Luminous Things. This is the English title of the famous anthology published by Czesław Miłosz in the United States in 1996. This year unique poetic insight will be provided by twenty poets from Poland and abroad during a rich and varied program of debates, panels, concerts and exhibitions. The Festival, in addition to its main program, will also involve two additional and coinciding events: a literary program for children Miłoszek and a series focused on Japanese culture and Haiku. The festival will end on May 17.

We’re ready to reveal the first confirmed guests of the Festival! First up, Robert Hass, winner of numerous literary awards and co-translator of the American edition of the Czesław Miłosz’s anthology A Book of Luminous Things. Next, Ruth Padel, great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin, a British poet, journalist involved in the defense of animal rights and professor of literature at Oxford University. Julia Fiedorczuk will join Padel and Hass. She is a poet, novelist, literary critic and translator. Last but not least (for now!), Wojciech Bonowicz, the poet and journalist, winner of the Gdynia Literary Award in 2007, will also be a guest of honor during this year’s edition.

The Miłosz Festival is one of the city’s most important events, indicating the significance of poetry in the cultural landscape of Krakow. At the same time, it is the most important international poetry event in Poland, which stems from the tradition of Poets of the East and West – organized under the auspices of both Nobel Prize winners Wislawa Szymborska and Czeslaw Milosz years ago, says Director of the Krakow Festival Office Izabela Helbin.

The Festival is organized by the Krakow Festival Office and the City of Literature Foundation, and the program is created jointly with the participation of the Festival’s Board, which is composed of: Krzysztof Czyżewski, Magdalena Heydel, Jerzy Illg, Jerzy Jarniewicz, Zofia Król, Mark Radziwon, Tomasz Różycki and Abel Murcia Soriano. The high quality of the program is carefully monitored by the Honorary Committee, consisting of: Aleksander Fiut, Julia Hartwig, Robert Hass, Ryszard Krynicki, Anthony Miłosz, Adam Pomorski, Aleksander Schenker, Tomas Venclova and Adam Zagajewski.

In this way, the edition’s theme and program take into account the most interesting phenomena in poetry through creative conversation and mutual inspiration. Outstanding representatives of the literary world and the young generation of artists, translators and literary critics sent in their proposals for the Festival. The result is a rich, conceptually coherent and open to a wide audience program composed of several dozen events.

This year, the fourth edition of the Festival is inspired by Miłosz’s personal anthology of world poetry, says the President of the Foundation City of Literature, Olga Brzezińska, co-organizer of the Festival. By presenting the work of the invited guests, in a way, we add to this anthology of new works. We pose an important question about the place of poetry in the modern world and, as Miłosz wrote, we remind people that poetry can still be very helpful to the reader in understanding reality in all its complexity and richness.

Invited speakers represent a variety of cultural and linguistic circles, aesthetics, and worldviews. Importantly, visiting foreign guests will be translated anew and editions of poetry collections will be prepared by leading Polish publishers of poetry. In this way, the Festival prepares the audience for the Festival events and exploration of the themes and ideas proposed by the writers from abroad. Releasing these publication outside of the context of the Festival would certainly be difficult, and so it contributes greatly to new works being discovered by the Polish audience.

As a child, I did not think that I would be a poet, because it was decided that I would become a naturalist – Miłoszonce wrote. This is a wonderful context for the announcement of our first four guests. The list of poets coming to the Festival opens with Robert Hass from San Francisco: a virtuoso in his own right and eco-writer, a graduate of Stanford University. Years ago Miłosz’s neighbor in Berkley and translator of his poetry into English. Robert Hass is also a well-known translator of the Japanese haiku masters. In the mid-nineties, he founded an association called River of Words promoting the idea of eco-literature. He is the winner of the National Book Award (2007) and Pulitzer Prize (2008). By 2014, he received the prestigious Wallace Stevens Award.

Participants will also meet with Ruth Padel, great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin, the British poet, journalist, and activist. Padel for years engaged in efforts to protect wildlife and animal rights. Since 2009 she has been a professor of literature at Oxford University. Her most recognized book called The Mara Crossing combines poetry and prose and takes on the subject of the migration of animals and humans. The poet has won the UK National Poetry Competition and the Cholmondoley prize awarded by the British Society of Authors.

Award-winning Polish poet Julia Fiedorczuk will also meet with audiences. Winner of the Polish Association of Book Publishers for her poetic debut November on the Narew (2000) and the Hubert Burda Prize for Poetry, which appeared in the Austrian magazine Manuskripte. She is a lecturer on literary theory as well as American literature at the University of Warsaw. She is the author of five volumes of poetry, two collections of short stories and many translations.

Another special guest of the Festival will be poet, essayist and journalist Wojciech Bonowicz. He made his debut with the volume Majority Rules, and in 2007 he received the Gdynia Literary Award for his volume The High Seas. He graduated from the Polish Studies department at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, where he lives today. What are the characteristics of his poetry? He aptly described it in an interview: I try to make words in my poems sigh. Therefore, the language of his poetry is more economical. In 2014, he was nominated for the Wisława Szymborska Poetry Award.

The Miłosz Festival aims to integrate the literary community and relies on its cooperation with important partners in the world of literature. This year, these include the Wisława Szymborska Foundation and the Zbigniew Herbert Foundation. The Festival also includes two main thematic events that complement the Festival. The program will be linked to events centering on Haiku and organized by the Center for Japanese Art and Technology Manggha for the Haiku International Conference (15-17 May 2015), which will attract professionals to Krakow from several countries who specialize in this field. Moreover, we can’t forget about our youngest fans of poetry and have dedicated events to children under the banner of Miłoszek (10-16 May), prepared jointly with the Festival of Children’s Literature.

More of the program and special guests will be announced very soon.

And we’ve come to the end of the largest book fair in the French speaking world, Salon du livre. More than 200,000 book lovers visited this year. Krakow and Wrocław, as special guests of honor, presented their literature and heritage at a specially prepared 200 m2 stand. This was the largest such event promoting Polish culture abroad in years. With nearly 40 meetings held, the visitors at the Fair got to meet key authors, poets, journalists, and illustrators. The French chain FNAC organized the bookstore section of the stand and sold numerous copies of Polish literature to the French public. The Polish stand was attended by French President François Hollande, Premier Manuel Valls, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, and the Ministers of Culture from Poland and France – Fleur Pellerin i Małgorzata Omilanowska, who in the context of the Fair signed a significant declaration of bilateral cooperation.

Poland’s presence was very highly valued in France, also by other delegations from various couuntries. This is one of the most important events for the book industry. We must continue to systematically work in France, as well as elsewhere, to promote Polish literature and Polish authors, so that they can find a place for themselves, one that they fully deserve on the international stage, and be read, translated and published all over the world, said Grzegorz Gauden, Director of the Polish Book Institute.

The Book Fair in Paris in the largest event of its type in the French speaking world. It stands out from the rest of such industry events because of its openness to the public and rich calendar of events, debates, discussions, and meetings with authors.

The program presented at the Krakow and Wrocław stand introduced the French public to the literary heritage and the contemporary culture of Poland’s two main centers of literature. It was a four day festival, and the atmosphere of the meetings and events, as well as the participation of thousands of book fans can be easily compared to the largest literary festivals in Krakow and Wrocław. Meetings with Joanna Bator and Olga Tokarczuk, Artur Domosławski, Mariusz Szczygieł and Wojciech Tochman, Iwona Chmielewska and Joanna Olech, Zygmunt Miłoszewski and Marek Krajewski, Ewa Lipska, Tomasz Różycki and Ryszard Krynicki, as well as dozens of other invited guests, drew the public’s attention to a variety of literary genres: novel, reportage, children’s books and illustration, poetry and translation. The long list of featured guests included Polish and European intellectuals, cultural managers, and literary specialists on Central European literature: Jurij Andruchowycz, Norman Davies, Adam Michnik, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Sylvie Germain, as well as… Roman Polański, who during the second day of the Fair attracted crowds to the stand and discussed the connection between literaure and film and his experience with adapting literature to the screen. He also talked about his newest production about the history of Alfred Dreyfus. We also discussed the greats of Polish culture who are no longer with us: Kantor, Grotowski, Szymborska, Miłosz, Schulz, as well as Polish-Jewish relations, Central European identity, feminism and values.

I can’t hide my satisfaction. The events in Paris was not only an fantastic opportunity to promote Krakow and it’s literary identity, but also to return Polish literature to the status it deserves in the European context and to strengthen interest in Polish authors in countries such as France, Canada, and Northern Africa. The Book Institute has for years done a fantastic job promoting Polish literature. Supporting these activities with participation in this event only underscored the significance of the creative sector and literature in Krakow and Wrocław through the joint presentation prepared for the Fair. This cooperation between Wrocław, Krakow and the Book Institute is a true phenomenon of brilliant collaboration and one of the most interesting undertakings of these strong cultural centers, stated Magdalena Sroka, Deputy Mayor of Krakow, thanking also the publishers and organizers of the Polish stand from Poland and France.

French publishers, media and diplomats, like Polish Ambassador Andrzej Byrt expressed great enthusiasm about the Polish presentation and the originality of the stand – distinguishing itself from other stands, including the national guest of honor Brazil. French media including Le Monde, TV5, La Liberation, L’Express, Le Nouvel Observateur, Le Figaro, and RFI all took note of the Polish presence at the Fair.

An extraordinary project. And so much interest. I am so happy that Krakow and Wrocław could invite so many authors to the Parisian Book Fair. We had the opportunity to promote the titles Wrocław will hold in 2016: European Capital of Culture and UNESCO World Book Capital. We thank the Ministry of Culture and the Book Institute for their help and cooperation, said the President of Wroclaw Rafal Dutkiewicz.

The rich and varied offer of the bookstore organized at the Polish stand (organized by the largest book retail chain FNAC) proved very popular with the crowds. There were nearly 5,000 books available, including a full range of titles that have been translated into French and published in France. The most popular books were by Witold Gombrowicz, Zygmunt Miłoszewski, Olga Tokarczuk, and also, the very popular cartoonist in France, Grzegorz Rosiński, author of the Thorgal series.

This is a very positive event. The Book Fair of this scale allow us to widen and deepen our interpersonal networks, to let the book migrate migrate from hand to hand – writers, translators, publishers and readers find each other anew in this environment. Often, coincidence causes a book to gain international popularity. This is what happened in the case of Haruki Marukami. Without such events, this wouldn’t be possible, said Joanna Bator, last year’s winner of the Nike award, present at several meetings and events.

Important elements of the organized events were meetings with translator, industry meetings, converations about the cultural politics of the cities of literature, as well as the impressive presentation of over 20 publishers from both cities. The guests of the Fair had the chance to acquaint themselves with the offer of the following publishers: BOSZ, Dwie Siostry, Format, Karakter, Lokator, MCK, Ossolineum, Orbis Pictus, Universitas, Ha!art, MOCAK, Dodoeditor, Warstwy, Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie, Wydawnictwo SQN,Wydawnictwo Literackie, Wytwórnia, ZNAK, A5 and Znak Emotikon.

Promotion of Polish literature abroad is a tedious, never-ending job. I hope that the organizers of the Polish stand of Krakow and Wroclaw will go for it and that this one-time event will result in a real increase in interest in Polish writers in France and throughout Europe. We have literature of truly great quality; it’s not like we are trying to reach people with something that is weak. Polish theater holds a worldwide reputation, Polish cinema slowly is emerging from the shadows. Somewhere here – toutes proportions gardées – are mysteries and crime fictions, including those which I write. I hope that the exhibition in Paris will bring about true change, stated Zygmunt Miłoszewski, this year’s winner of the Polityka Passport Award.

 

During the Fair, an important meeting between the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Polish Małgorzata Omilanowska and the Minister of Culture of France Fleur Pellerin took place, during which the two signed a declaration on bilateral cooperation. This cooperation is particularly important for the promotion of reading and literature, as evidenced by not only the presence of Krakow and Wrocław as guests of honor at this year’s Book Fair in Paris, but also by the fact that France has been invited as guest of honor at the International Book Fair in Warsaw in May 2015. The declaration also highlights the importance of cooperation between museums and the importance of historical heritage, which connects the two countries. The Ministers pledged to work together on the European Union platform to support policies on artistic creation, appreciation of heritage ​​and universal access to culture. Both stressed the importance of an ambitious cultural policy to support the creation of high-quality literary works. We put a lot of effort into the organization of the Polish stand and I am pleased that it has been appreciated, says Laurence Dyèvre, literary consultant to the French Institute. You could see the results of our work: every meeting enjoyed great success, we heard a lot of compliments about the program, which, according to visitors was varied and interesting. Many people noted that they would love to have the Polish stand at the Fair every year. This causes us great satisfaction. During the last day of the Fair, an important meeting for the future of the book market and bookselling took place, wherein Andrzej Nowakowski, Grzegorz Gauden talked with the President of the French Union of Publishers BIEF, Jean-Guy Jean Boin and representatives of French bookstores. This was an important debate which fit well with the European trend of using fixed prices of book as a tool to support the development of the book market and culture.

On the third day of the Paris Book Fair the Polish stand was visited by the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, who received a copy of Norman Davies’ Microcosm. Meetings took place with over 20 writers from Poland and the world. They discussed poetry, Polish crime fiction, Mrożek, and freedom and democracy. Among the authors present, we met with Adam Michnik, Olga Tokarczuk, Joanna Bator, Ryszard Krynicki, Tomasz Różycki, Marek Krajewski, Zygmunt Miłoszewski and Joanna Concejo, among many others.

Mrożek, Kantor and the reception of their works were discussed by Vera Michalski, Margaret I. Niemczyńska and Marie -Thérèse Vido- Rzewuski. The panelists tried to answer the question whether the works by Sławomir Mrożek have a chance to become popular once more with young generations. Kantor ‘s work is very elite, there is a Kantor cult among a small group of fans, but Mrożek has a chance to reach a wider audience. The label of being a difficult writer has stuck to him, but I believe that he will be rediscovered. Polish poetry and its significance were the topic of conversation between Bouvard Marie, literary scholar, and Alain van Crugten, writer and literary historian, and Michael Rusinek. Panelists discussed the work of Wisława Szymborska, Czesław Miłosz and Tadeusz Różewicz – three of the most famous representatives of

Polish poetry, they spoke about the reception of their works by audiences, but also attempted to contextualize them in everyday life. The everyday life of the past, said Michał Rusinek, such, to which the French do not have access to because its everyday Poland, and additionally embedded in the communist era. The conclusion is that this poetry should be read in France anew again, perhaps looking less at the connections between Polish and French literature, not embedding it, but trying to understand it in the context of Polish history, politics and art as well – Rusinek said.

In another conversation about poetry attended by Tomasz Różycki and Ryszard Krynicki. Speaking about his creative path, the poets mentioned authors of the New Wave as those who have shaped the Polish poetic diction for years.

The event dedicated to crime fiction was attended by Marek Krajewski, Zygmunt Miłoszewski and Hervé Le Corre. The author of “Wrath” argued that this genre enjoys great popularity in Poland: Enter into a bookstore and you’ll see separate rooms for thrillers – he said. He also drew attention to something that distinguishes the Polish thriller from others: All our books are related to European memory – he said. – Often we think that the past has been written a long time and nothing happens in it, but it turns out that other languages are hidden in it​​, other nations, guilt which we have not managed to get through yet… This brilliantly shows how crime fiction can be a type of exorcism. Marek Krajewski answered the question why he decided to set his crime novel in Wroclaw: I love this city, and when you love someone, something, you have to get to know its story.

It is difficult to talk about literature in the situation when Ukraine more needs weapons, when, what is meaningful in its own way, there is no stand presenting Ukrainian literature and government spending goes to war – began Yuri Andrukhovych during his meeting with Adam Michnik. The two intellectuals from different countries and different generations wondered about the meaning of the conflict in Ukraine in the context of European values. Writers were unanimous about the fact that the line of this conflict does not fall according to linguistic and ethnic divisions, but relies on a choice of culture. Pushkin’s Russia is not Putin’s Russia – Adam Michnik said emphatically. Andruchowycz stated: readers of my books are largely Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine. The fundamental issue for the future of Ukraine and the whole continent is the choice of democratic values ​​while rejecting a political narrative in a culture that is risky and potentially leading to the rejection of democracy as the right to freedom – discussed Michnik and Andruchowycz.

The work of Bruno Schulz and Witold Gombrowicz was at the centre of the meeting between three outstanding contemporary Polish and French novelists inspired at varying degree by the poetics of magical realism, Eastern philosophy and psychology — Tokarczuk, Joanna Bator and Sylvie Germain. Is it the charisma and unmistakeable style of the two giants of Polish literature of the interwar period that is such an inspiration for the contemporary Polish writers, or ” big mouth ” and limitation? Tokarczuk, living in a small town in Lower Silesia, discussed what draws her to the “provincial”, why the Polish perspective, in the Central European context, may be more interesting, more visionary than that of the West.

The second day of the Book Fair at the Polish stand was devoted to meetings with nearly 30 guests from Poland, France, Belgium, Ukraine and Italy. As part of the Polish presentation at Salon du livre, we held meetings with authors, including, Mariusz Szczygieł, Krzysztof Varga, Norman Davies, Yuri Andrukhovych, Daniel Beauvois, Philippe Trétiackiem, Patrick Gaumerem, Grzegorz Rosiński, among others. Both the Polish bookstore and the book signings enjoyed great popularity, with long queues of readers lined up for autographs from Grzegorz Rosinski, Wojciech Tochman and Yuri Andrukhovych. The Polish stand was also visited by the President of the French Republic François Hollande, who met with representatives of the Polish cities. He accepted a gift of Polish books, including Szymborska’s Collages issued by the Krakow based MOCAK, as well as the French translation of Andrew Bobkowski’s travelogue.

Meeting with Polish photojournalists: Mariusz Szczygieł and Wojciech Tochman attracted crowds of readers. It is no secret that the French do appreciate non-fiction. While discussing the secrets of the craft of a reporter, the authors pointed out the responsibility of the creator of his word. Literature does not exist without the detail – said Wojciech Tochman asked about how much detail should be in good reportage. When is a detail, the case does not require additional comment – he added. Much space is devoted to the most important creators of the genre: Ryszard Kapuscinski and Hanna Krall. About Jerzy Grotowski talked Georges Banu, Erik Veaux and Louis Flaszen, the most prominent expert on experimental theater makers associated with Wroclaw and his longtime collaborator. Joanna Olech and Jean-Philippe Arrou-Vignod talked about the heroes of his childhood, including writer betrayed why was the author of fairy tales for children. Getting ready for the profession illustrator and ordained a case that I was invited to do a comic book – she said. What is the way to success Joanna Olech? Do not flatter tastes of young readers – explained – the book that I write primarily have to please myself. That’s why they are authentic. It happens to me, however, that changing them after reviews of my own children – writer admitted, adding that he never knows how to finish the book. Just start writing, first goes hard, but then the characters take on a life of its own.

The surrealism of everyday life and Wislawa Szymborska talked Masha Potocki, Magdalena Sroka and Michael Rusinek in a meeting with Christiane Louis. French audience is presented primarily issued by the Krakow MOCAK Collages Nobel Prize winner.

Collages poets are well received by the French public. Not only as an original, autonomous form of artistic expression, which in private correspondence migrated en masse to the gallery almost all over the world, but also as a key to her poetry. Find them because these may be the same or similar clues, traces, threads, which in rows. Ironic, surreal, minimalist, streaked philosophy professed by poet and realized both in a serious literary, so. frivolous works and collages just.

For the French audience that does not know well Szymborska’s poetry – a great starting point for the promotion of her translations – said Michał Rusinek, President of the Foundation Wislawa Szymborska.

The authors drew attention to the responsibility of the writer. Literature does not exist without details, said Wojciech Tochman, who was asked about how many details should be contained in a quality reportage. When there are details, the work does not require additional comment, he added. A lot of discussion was devoted to the writers Ryszard Kapuściński and Hanna Krall. Jerzy Grotowski was the subject of conversation for Georges Banu, Erik Veaux and Ludwik Flaszen; Grotowski was one of the most eminent experimental theater creators from Wrocław and his long-time co-worker. Joanna Olech and Jean-Philippe Arrou-Vignod discussed their childhood heros. The author told audiences why she became an author of children’s books. I started out as an ilustrator and fate brought me to comic books, she said. What is Joanna Olech’s secret to success? I tried not to cater to the tastes of young readers, she clarified, books that I write are ones that first and foremost I enjoy myself. That is why they are so authentic.

It happens from time to time, however, that I change them after the reviews of my own children, the author admitted, adding that she never knows how a book will finish. I just start writing, at first it’s a bit hard, but then the characters take on a life of their own.

Masha Potocka, Magdalena Sroka and Michael Rusinek talked about every day surrealism and Wisława Szymborska in a meeting with Christiane Louis. French audiences were introduced to the collages of the Noble Prize winner, published mainly by Krakow MOCAK.

The poet’s collages are well received by the French public. Not only as an original, autonomous form of artistic expression, which migrated en masse to galleries almost all over the world from collections of private correspondence, but also as a key to her poetry. We may find in them clues, trends, threads of logic similar to those in her poems. Ironic, surreal, minimalistic, and reflecting the poet’s personal philosophies that she included both in her serious works as well as personal collages.

For those who may not know Szymborska’s poetry well, this is a great introduction into her world and the promotion of her work in translation, said Michał Rusinek, President of the Wislawa Szymborska Foundation.

The President of Wrocław Rafał Dutkiewicz and British historian Norman Davies discussed the monumental work by the Brit on the multicultural history of Wrocław Microcosmos which was translated in 2013 into French. During the meeting, the speakers underscored the universal history of Wrocław, as its story is not just the story of one city or nation, but rather a multifaceted one exemplified, at the very least, by the various names the city has held over the past centuries.

Absent Europe”  was the title of the discussion involving Yuri Andrukhovych, Daniel Beauvois and Hubert Klimko-Dobrzaniecki. Daniel Beauvois, French historian, writer, author of numerous articles and translator, highlighted the significance of Krakow and Wrocław’s participation at the Fair in Paris. Kraków and Wrocław are living archives of the history of Central Europe, he stated. They draw France’s attention to our part of the continent, which France sometimes did not want to see. He considered the difficult history of Poland, drawing analogies to the present situation in Ukraine: Poland, which for a long time did not know freedom, like Ukraine, which has not known it ever, know very well what I wish to say. “Absent Europe” is the Europe which does not speak up and stays silent in a time when Ukraine has been left abandoned and alone, stated the writer. Nawiązał tym samym do trudnej polskiej przeszłości, wskazując analogie do historii współczesnej Ukrainy: Zarówno Polska, która przez długi czas nie znała wolności, jak i Ukraina, która jej nie zna wcale, wiedzą dobrze co chcę powiedzieć. „Europa nieobecna” to przede wszystkim Europa milcząca w sytuacji, w jakiej znajduje się osamotniona i porzucona Ukraina – stwierdził pisarz. Yuri Andrukhovychand Hubert Klimko-Dobrzaniecki agreed. The satisfied West prefers to talk about subjects more pleasant than Ukraine. The West has abandoned this country. This is the worst kind of war. We don’t know when it will end.The strong and emotional conversation touched on the responsibility of the West in this matter.

Comic book fans met with a really legend! Author of „Thorgal”, “Yans”, “Sioban” i “Szninkiel” Grzegorz Rosiński caused quite the stir. During a meeting titled “Is Thorgal a Pole”, the biographer of the famous ilustrator, Patrick Gaumer, asked about the meeting with Jerzy Kosiński, during which Rosiński was supposed to draw a sketch of Thorgal with the Alps in the background. It was the first drawing of Rosiński’s that Kosiński ever saw. The two speakers discussed cooperation with the Belge Jean Van Hamm, and sending to Belgium ready-made drawings via the Ministry of Culture and Arts as well as the fact that the package was blocked after the imposition of martial law. The series is highly popular nowadays, which was confirmed by the long lines for a special dedication and sigining from the author. Rosiński and Gaumer talked about the difference between American, Japanese and European comics. The special aspect that makes Thorgal stand out, according to its creator, is its literary quality. European comics are like stories, which we may compare to the histories written down in books.

One of the important events of the second day of the Fair was the visit of the President of the French Republic to the Polish stand, which was commented on by important television and media outlets in France. During the meeting, Deputy Mayor of Krakow Magdalena Sroka and the Polish Ambassador in France Andrzej Byrt invited François Hollande to Krakowa, who declared that he would gladly visited the capital of Małopolska. Hollande spoke with the delegation from the Polish cities. He accepted copies ofWisława Szymborska’s Collages as well as Z dziennika podróży by Andrzej Bobkowski, translated by Laurence Dyèvreand published by Noir sur Blanc.

The visit of the Head of State of France is evidence of the strong interest in Poland, said Grzegorz Gauden,Director of the Polish Book Institute. It accentuated the strength and seriousness of the signed declaration concerning the promotion of reading and literature by the Ministers of Culture and underlined the significance of ambitious cultural politics that support the book market.

The first day of the Parisian book fair was filled with conversations about reportage, Polish poetry and the connections between literature and film. Key Polish artists met with readers, translators and the French media. On the occasion of the most important book fair in the French speaking world, the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Prof. Małgorzata Omilanowska, and the French Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin, signed a declaration of continued mutual cultural collaboration between Poland and France. They declared that they will concentrate their cooperation on collaboration between the two countries’ audiovisual sector and institutions, as well as mutual promotion of literature and reading.

One of the important events of the Paris Book Fair was the signing of a declaration of cooperation betweenthe Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Prof. Małgorzata Omilanowska, and the French Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin. The two sides declared that cooperation is particularly important in the area of the popularization of reading and literature. One step taken already towards this goal is the invitation of France as a special guest of honor to the Book Fair in Warsaw in 2015 as well as the invitation of Krakow and Wroclaw as guests of honor during the Salon du livre in Paris. The declaration emphasized the importance of the collaboration between museums as well as the significant cultural heritage that ties the two countries. The Ministers affirmed that they will work together at the EU level in an effort to back political legislation that supports the development of the arts and culture, recognizes the value of cultural heritage and supports universal access to culture. They underscored the significance of the cultural politics that strengthen and support literary works of the highest quality.

An equally important event connected with European regulations of the book market was the joint declaration concerning the standardization of taxes on printed and digital books, signed yesterday by the Ministers of Culture from Poland, France, Germany and Italy. Underlining the role of new technologies and digital literature for the future of the book, the Ministers called on the European Commission to set the tone for the development of European copyright, which will lead to the more widespread implementation of the lowered tax rate on all books, printed and digital. The stance of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage is in agreement with that of the Polish government following a 2013 decision on this matter.

On Friday, at the Polish stand, twelve meetings took place with authors representing the most important aspects of literary heritage in Poland and France as well as the most interesting and most popular trends in contemporary literature in both countries. Accompanying these events were workshops for children as well as a presentation of the newest translations of Polish literature into French. There were book signings by Norman Davies, Mariusz Szczygieł, Olga Tokarczuk, Joanna Bator and Marzena Sowa, the author of the extraordinarily popular comic book series Marzi.

The event with Jurij Andruchowycz, Norman Davies and Mariusz Szczygieł drew real crowds. The meeting presented the uniqueness of the Central European experience in the context of reflections on the topos of the city – an important catalyst of change, a space for many languages and cultures as well as traditions in this macroregion. Listeners also had the opportunity to learn about the richness and liveliness of Polish poetry as presented by Urszula Kozioł and Ewa Lipska. Hundreds of people listened to the conversation between Olga Tokarczuk and Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. The beloved French writer warmly encouraged readers to pick up Tokarczuk’s books. The public’s attention was also captured by a discussion on feminism in literature with the participation of Joanna Bator and key French anthropologists and cultural philosophers working on gender studies, including Catherine Deschamps, Geneviève Fraisse and Patrick Jean.

The event with Roman Polański was met with great enthusiasm. The Krakow born director of international acclaim talked about the literature that influenced his films. Impressions based on Shakespeare to Yasmin Reza and adaptations of Dickens’ work were discussed, as was collaboration with Robert Harris, the author of the screenplay for Ghostwriter. The director revealed bits and pieces from his new movie, set partially in Krakow, the Dreyfus Affair. He discussed European literature in the context of his films. The conversation was also very sentimental. Polański talked a lot about Krakow, a city to which his family moved in the 1930s. He reminisced about his childhood and shared his experiences which served as inspiration for his work.

During the first day of the fair we also discussed the literary politics of both cities and confronted the Polish experience with that of the French. The largest literary festivals in Poland were presented, along with the programs of Krakow UNESCO City of Literature and Wroclaw UNESCO World Book Capital 2016. The role of the region in the International Cities of Refuge Network as well as Wroclaw’s plans to join the network was underlined. New media initiatives that aim to promote reading and literature were mentioned. Representatives from France, Robert Piaskowski – Coordinator of the UNESCO City of Literature program in Krakow, as well as Irek Grin – curator of the literary program for the Wroclaw 2016 European Capital of Culture and the UNESCO World Book Capital 2016 titles exchanged their experiences in the area of the promotion of literature and creative societies.

On Saturday, the Polish program was equally rich and intensive. Alongside discussions about Jerzy Grotowski, Tadeusz Kantor and Bruno Schulz, a discussion between Olga Stanisławska, Mariusz Szczygieł and Wojciech Tochman took place about the strength and specificity of Polish reportage. Joanna Olech and Jean-Philippe Arrou-Vignod talked about how to write books for children and Norman Davies and the President of Wroclaw, Rafał Dutkiewicz presented the history of Lower Silesia as a paradigm for Central Europe on the basis of the British author’s book Microcosmos The French public also met with cartoonist Grzegorz Rosiński, who in conversation with Patrick Gaumer, talked about Thorgal, a phenomenon in contemporary European popular culture.

Polish literature translated into French has sparked great interest at the stand’s book shop organized by the French chain FNAC. The Polish bookstore is visited by thousands of French readers, who enthusiastically purchase books by Kapuściński, Tokarczuk, Miłoszewski, Krajewski and Olga Tokarczuk. Polish classics are also selling splendidly, including Gombrowicz and other essayists and prose writers.

Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage Małgorzata Omilanowska, Minister of Culture and Communications of the Republic of France Fleur Pellerin, and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, accompanied by representatives of the cities and representatives of the Polish-French diplomacy and culture were present at the inauguration ceremony of the largest book fair of the French speaking world – Salon du livre de Paris. Krakow and Wrocław, in the joint role as guests of honor of the fair, will present their publishers, authors, translators, and a rich program of meetings with Polish writers and critics. Together with the Book Institute, the two cities developed a wide ranging presentation of literature and, more broadly, Polish culture tailored to the French book market. The fair will last until March 23.

The grand opening of Polish booth was graced by the presence of many representatives of Polish diplomacy led by the Ministers of Culture of the Republic of France and Poland, as well as Polish Ambassador Andrzej Byrt in Paris. I feel great satisfaction with the Krakow and Wrocław stand at Salon du Livre – says the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Małgorzata Omilanowska. We have something to be proud of as a country and as a country of literature. I hope that our authors, with their ability to write about things seemingly simple, but in fact fundamental, will reach French readers.

Director of the Book Institute, Grzegorz Gauden, echoes these sentiments: Salon du Livre in Paris is one of the most important events in the world. Obtaining the status of the guest of honor is not an easy thing. The fair guards its own prestige and invites countries and cities, which can enhance it. The fact that the Parisian book fair wanted to have Krakow UNESCO City of Literature and Wrocław, the UNESCO World Book Capital in 2016 and Poland at this year’s event is in itself already a cause for satisfaction and satisfaction.

The Book Fair in Paris combines the promotion of reading on a large scale with industry events. Every year, the fair is visited by 200,000 readers. Over 1200 publishers present here. There are about 500 meetings with authors and representatives from over 50 countries. Salon du Livre is one of the largest book fair in Europe. Among the invited guests to our literary stand are French publishers, representatives of Polish and French cultural life, as well as nearly 30 writers from Poland and the world, including Joanna Bator, Daniel Beauvois, Joanna Chmielewska, Norman Davies, Artur Domosławski, Joanna Concejo, Urszula Kozioł, Ryszard Krynicki, Ewa Lipska, Zygmunt Miłoszewski, Joanna Olech, Marzena Sowa, Eric- Emmanuel Schmidt, Olga Tokarczuk, Agata Tuszyńska and Krzysztof Varga. A  great treat during the inauguration was presence of Polish director Roman Polański as well as Grzegorz Rosiński.

I am very proud of the fact that the city of Krakow and Wrocław may present at the French capital. And I am even more happy that my beloved city of Krakow, the city of my childhood, can present here its literature, the literature of my childhood and the city where I grew up – said Roman Polański.

The cities will be located in the center of the pavilion at the Parc des Expositions at Porte de Versailles, an area covering ​​over 200 m2. The beautifully landscaped stand will show the range of Polish literature available in French: prose, poetry, books, comics, children’s books and multimedia. A joint catalog was also published especially for this occasion: A Tale of Two Cities. It was prepared in cooperation with “Tygodnik Powszechny”. Publishers from Krakow and Wroclaw, as well as numerous cultural institutions of these cities will hold their offer on the specially designed stand and shelves.

This fair is a unique opportunity to promote Polish literature in the world, and at the same time emphasize the role of the city of Krakow as a UNESCO City of Literature. Together with Wrocław, Krakow shares concern for the fate of Polish literature in the world; we want to strengthen relations between the Polish publishing industry and the French-speaking communities, and I already feel the enormous power of mutual interest – emphasized Magdalena Sroka – the Deputy Mayor of Krakow. Similarly, Deputy Mayor of Wroclaw – Anna Szarycz stressed the importance of the joint presentation of the cities and the role of Krakow and Wrocław as leaders of literary life in Poland. Not without significance is the context of the European Capitals of Culture: Krakow in 2000 and for Wrocław in 2016. We hope that Wrocław, attaching so much importance to its multicultural literary heritage will serve well as a UNESCO World Book Capital in 2016 .

The Polish stand will become a place of many interesting discussions about Polish literature, film and theater. It will hold more than 30 meetings which will be attended by over 100 guests, including Joanna Bator, Iwona Chmielewska, Norman Davies, Arthur Domosławski, Louis Flaszen, Urszula Kozioł, Marek Krajewski, Ryszard Krynicki, Ewa Lipska, Zygmunt Miłoszewski, Joanna Olech, Roman Polański, Grzegorz Rosiński, Tomasz Różycki, Marzena Sowa, Mariusz Szczygieł, Wojciech Tochman, Olga Tokarczuk, Agata Tuszyńska and Krzysztof Varga.

This is a celebration of the book, a real fiesta, a celebration of literature on a large scale, in the French way – says Olga Tokarczuk. – We are celebrating the book here and I would like for us to celebrate literature in Poland in a similar way.

Meanwhile, tomorrow, March 20th, the first meetings organized with the Polish contingent at Salon du livre. Two great Polish poets Urszula Koziol and Ewa Lipska will discuss the power of poetry, and Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt in an interview with Olga Tokarczuk will reflect on the thin line between fable and history. Krzysztof Varga talk about cities,  both their provincialism as well as their role in cultural creation, and Yuri Andrukhovych, Norman Davies and Mariusz Szczygieł will focus on cities as … protagonists in literature. Arthur Domosławski and Véronique Patte will try to measure the impact of Ryszard Kapuscinski’s work on contemporary reportage, and Roman Polanski will examine the connections between literature and film. The literary promotion strategies of both invited cities will also be presented in a moderated discussion with Robert Piaskowski – Chief Executive of the UNESCO City of Literature programme and Irek Grin — Curator of the Literary Department of the Office of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016.

The International Literature Showcase is set to kick off in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature on March 18th! This event, organized by the Writers’ Centre Norwich, British Council and supported by Arts Council England, will bring together representatives from the international literary community (over 20 countries) to share their experience, work, and innovative ideas for the promotion of literature and reading.

Krakow UNESCO City of Literature will participate in the showcase and share its successes, insights and visions for the future during this exciting 5 day international event!

You can follow all the conference activities on Twitter, Facebook, and the Writers’ Centre website!

The hottest names of contemporary Polish literature and its strongest genres: the detective novel, the children’s book and illustration, discussions on the heritage, power and topicality of Polish poetry and the tradition of reportage, theatre and film, workshops for the youngest readers and conversations on the most important issues of the identity of today’s Poland, numerous domestic publishers presenting their most interesting publications – these are only some of the attractions of the stand of Krakow and Wrocław that will be available to visitors of the prestigious Book Fair in Paris.

As you may remember, the cities of Krakow and Wroclaw were invited to participate as guests of honour in the Salon du livre de Paris, which is to take place from the 19th till the 23rd of March.Krakow – the first Slavic UNESCO City of Literature and Wrocław – the European Capital of Culture and the UNESCO World Book Capital 2016 will accentuate their importance on the cultural map of Europe during this oldest and biggest exhibition event of the Francophonic world in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Book Institute.

‘The promotion of Polish culture and the mutual exchange of experiences – these are the most important goals of Krakow’s presence at the Book Fair in Paris,’ says the Mayor of the City of Krakow Jacek Majchrowski. ‘Our aim is not only the magnificent presentation of the cultural wealth of Poland and Krakow – we also want to engage participants in a discussion by means of an excellently prepared program of meetings with Polish artists.We are proud that we can present the achievements of Krakow publishers and improve the readership promotion program thanks to our meeting with French booksellers.’

The program of presentation of Krakow and Wrocław will be extremely rich – 34 meetings with leading representatives of Polish literature, poetry, film, reportage and translation will take place at the Polish stand. All meetings will be conducted in Polish and will be translated into French, and a full package of information about both cities will be available for collection at the Polish stand.

The Polish stand will become a place of many unusual meetings and surprising discussions: Olga Tokarczuk will talk to Erik-Emmanuel Schmitt about the thin borderline between story and history, Mariusz Szczygieł and Wojciech Tochman will try to answer the question about the limits of censorship, Roman Polański will talk about the relationship between literature and film, Marek Krajewski and Zygmunt Miłoszewski will disclose the secrets of making a Polish detective story and excellent illustrators Iwona Chmielewska, Joanna Concejo and Jérémie Dres will wonder whether to tell children about war and how. Visitors of the fair will learn more about Polish icons such as Jerzy Grotowski, Bruno Schulz, Tadeusz Kantor, Sławomir Mrożek, Polish Noble Prize winners and… Thorgal.

One of the most important elements of the Polish presentation at the fair will be the presence of several publishers from both cities. As many as 14 publishing houses from Krakow and Malopolska – BOSZ, Karakter, Lokator, Polish Rights, MCK, Universitas, Ha!art, MOCAK, Dodoeditor, Wydawnictwo SQN, Wydawnictwo Literackie, ZNAK, A5 and Znak Emotikon – will present their books. Each publisher will have its own shelf in one of the racks at Krakow’s stand, where it will exhibit selected books. Readers will find there, among others, beautifully printed collages by Wisława Szymborska, Martwy sezon [The Dead Season] by Jakub Woynarowski (based on The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz), volumes of poems by Zbigniew Herbert, Adam Zagajewski and Ryszard Krynicki, Dziennik t.1 [The Diary. Volume One] by Sławomir Mrożek, or latest books by authors such as Marek Krajewski, Filip Springer, Georges Perec and Małgorzata Szejnert.

Apart from that, the stand will exhibit representative albums presenting the treasures of literary Krakow and the most interesting and most dynamically operating cultural institutions, including the National Museum, the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow, Cricoteka, MOCAK, International Cultural Centre or the Ethnographical Museum. Visitors of the Fair will become familiar with French releases of works and biographies of the most important Polish artists and authors: Stanisław Lem, Czesław Miłosz, Wisława Szymborska, Sławomir Mrożek, Adam Zagajewski, Tadeusz Kantor, Bruno Schulz, Jerzy Grotowski, Wojciech Has, Tymoteusz Karpowicz, Tadeusz Różewicz and Rafał Wojaczek.

All books presented at the stand, as well as a set of the most important Polish new publications and an almost complete collection of Polish literature translated into French will be available in a special fair bookshop at the Polish stand.

Salon du livre is also a perfect opportunity for industry meetings. On the 23rd of March, a series of panels and discussions will be held between Polish and French publishers on the subject of the Polish Seym’s draft act on the fixed book price. The book market in France is considered to be the best organised market in Europe, and France can boast one of the best readership indexes. Many publicists attribute this to the introduction of the Lang Law in 1981, under which publishers establish fixed prices for books to be distributed. This results, among others, in the maintenance of a market balance between bigger and smaller players on the booksellers’ market and the support of quality competition between publishers. Experts will compare experiences of both countries in the stimulation of the culture-forming role of the book market.

See the program of events

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