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Anthology of Polish Poetry

The University of Granada has published an anthology of contemporary Polish poetry. The publication includes poetry by Miłosz Biedrzycki, Wojciech Bonowicz, Marzena Broda, Michał Sobol and Ewa Sonnenberg, and it was prepared by the Slavic Studies Department of the University. An introductory essay about Polish poetry is included in the anthology, and it identifies Krakow as a literary centre of the country.

The Krakow Festival Office and Krakow UNESCO City of Literature are partners of the publication.

A new place on the literary map of Krakow. How do you like it?

We invite you to visit a new bookshop on the literary map of Krakow. “Jak wam się podoba. Sklep z książkami” [“How do you like it. A shop with books”] (Stradomska 10) is a branch of the Warsaw bookshop specialising in albums for graphic artists, designers and readers interested in visual arts and architecture. In small cosy premises on the walking route from the Old Town to Kazimierz, there is also room for exclusive collector’s publications (the bookshop is a representative of the Taschen publishing house) and a wide choice of English literature.

We invite you to visit regularly the Facebook page of the bookshop! link

Summary of the 20th UNESCO World Book Day

On that day, it was worth leaving work earlier in order to… become engrossed in reading. We spent the 20th UNESCO World Book Day in bookshops and proved that the centre of Krakow abounds in soulful literary places.

The readers who visited Bona, Czuły Barbarzyńca, De Revolutionibus, Ha!art, Lokator, Massolit, Matras 1610 and Pod Globusem bookshops had an opportunity to meet Krakow writers and poets standing behind the counters. Wit Szostak engaged an unaware girl from Warsaw in a long conversation about books by Wiesław Myśliwski and Łukasz Orbitowski from De Revo’s offer, Sławomir Shuty recommended new releases of Korporacja Ha!art, and Jerzy Franczak and Soren Gauger gave advice to customers in their natural environment: Lokator and Massolit bookshops. Finally, Adam Zagajewski met visitors of the Matras bookshop in the Main Square, and Zośka Papużanka recommended children’s books and colouring books in Pod Globusem.

All of these places have one thing in common: a cultural program, the staff that loves its job and a personal choice of books that is a work of art in itself. We encourage you to visit Krakow bookshops! Many of them are yet to be discovered.

On that day, an occasional literary walk took place in Krakow, too. Not only did we learn how old the oldest bookshop in Krakow is, but we also became familiar with the history of Massolit, walked through Szpitalna – the Krakow street of second-hand bookshops and learned in which bookshop you can arrange a meeting with a fortune-teller.

Photos by Tomasz Wiech

The literary walk in the trail of Stanisław Lem was concluded with an exceptional meeting with the master’s long-year secretary Wojciech Zemek. By courtesy of Wydawnictwo Literackie, the meeting was held in the unique scenery of the Mehoffer Room in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is rarely made available to visitors.

Questions asked by numerous participants seemed endless – and there was much to ask about! For example, we learned which of the books by Lem were appreciated by the author himself (and which were not appreciated at all) and at which pace he read (one book a day). We wondered about the attitude of the author of Solaris to virtual reality and we asked about the authenticity of the well-known quotation: ‘I never knew that there were so many idiots in the world until I accessed the Internet.’ We also heard the history of his “divorce letters” to Stanisław Bereś and learned which countries were experiencing the boom for his books at the moment (Spain and Turkey).

The next walk is scheduled already for the 16th of May on the occasion of the Miłosz Festival, and its subject-matter will be the patron of the festival himself. We invite you to join us!

News and registration

The 4th edition of the Miłosz Festival will include not only poetic peregrinations, but also a rich program of music events and a film screening. Outstanding poets Miron Białoszewski and Yuri Andrukhovych together with musicians from the alternative scene, a film recollection of Kornel Filipowicz and, most of all, sensational poets from Lithuania and Belarus.

Everything began with sound. ‘My intention is that the written word should be a record of the spoken word.… I have always regarded poetry as something to be read aloud,’ that’s how Białoszewski commented on his activity when he began to record his works in April 1965. The poet’s recordings from the 1960s have never been known to the general public before. The music project Białoszewski do słuchu [Białoszewski to be heard] makes use of the poet’s original recordings and presents radio dramas inspired by them that were created by young representatives of indie music: Patryk Zakrocki, Marcin Staniszewski, Asi Mina and Mikrokolektyw. This special literary & music project is an attempt to refresh the memory of less known recordings left by the author of the poetic volume The Revolution of Things. The first part of this exceptional concert will be performed by Asi Mina and Marcin Staniszewski on the 14th of May at 9.30 p.m. in the Re club (ul. Św. Krzyża 4). The second part to be performed by Patryk Zakrocki and Mikrokolektyw will take place on the 16th of May at the same time and in the same place.

Another impressive experience will be delivered by the Ukrainian poet and novelist Yuri Andrukhovych together with the Wroclaw band Karbido.Together they created a literary & music trilogy: Samogon [Moonshine], Cynamon [Cinnamon] and Absynt [Absinthe]. The festival audience will see and hear their new program Atlas Estremo, which is based on Andrukhovych’s Lexicon of Intimate Cities and strongly inspired by current events in the Ukraine. Referring to avant garde, punk or jazz music, the compositions sketch an intriguing map of anxieties, tensions, images and stereotypes. This will be a powerful conclusion of the four-day Poetry Festival. We invite you to attend this concert in the Re Club on the 17th of May at 8.00 p.m.

We have also something for cinema fans: the screening of a film about Kornel Filipowicz, which is organised by the Wisława Szymborska Foundation together with the Krakow Festival Office and the City of Literature Foundation. This year is the 25th anniversary of the death of this outstanding prose writer, novelist, poet, scriptwriter and important figure of the literary and cultural life of Krakow. Outstanding writers and intellectuals as well as Filipowicz’s friends, including, among others, Jan Józef Szczepański, Wisława Szymborska, Jerzy Turowicz, Ewa Lipska and Jan Błoński recollect Filipowicz not only as a writer, but also as a friend. The screening of the film will be preceded by a meeting devoted to Filipowicz, which will be hosted by Professor Teresa Walas and Bronisław Maj. The screening of the film and the discussion will take place in the Kino Pod Baranami cinema on the 17th of May at 1.30 p.m.

The Miłosz Festival continues the tradition of Krakow Meetings of Poets of the East and the West that are organised under the patronage of Czesław Miłosz and Wisława Szymborska. This is why, during this year’s festival, we will proudly welcome literary guests from behind the eastern border: the Lithuanian poet Kornelijus Platelis and two guests from Belarus – Valzhyna Mort and Aleś Razanaŭ. The literary output of Mort, who will visit Poland for the first time, has often been compared to Miłosz and Szymborska, and Razanaŭ is said to be a born classic.

Tickets to concerts:

The 14th of May (Thursday), 9.30 p.m. Białoszewski do słuchu [Białoszewski to be heard] part 1

venue: RE Club

ticket price: PLN 15

The 16th of May (Saturday), 9.30 p.m. Białoszewski do słuchu [Białoszewski to be heard] part 2

venue: RE Club

ticket price: PLN 15

The 17th of May (Sunday), 8.00 p.m. Andrukhovych/Karbido

venue: RE Club

ticket price: PLN 20

Package for 2 concerts ‘Białoszewski do słuchu’

price: PLN 20

Package for all 3 concerts

price: PLN 30

RULES OF PURCHASE OF TICKETS AND PACKAGES:

– Persons having the Krakow Family Card 3+ are entitled to discount tickets (-70% on the normal ticket price). The number of tickets is limited. The offer does not apply to packages.

– No half-price tickets will be available.

– Before purchasing tickets or festival passes, the customer is obliged to read the rules of sale of tickets for events organised by the Krakow Festival Office. The purchase of the ticket and the package is treated as an acceptance of the rules.

Tickets for festival concerts will be available from the 20th of April, 10.00 a.m., in four InfoKraków tourist information network points: at ul. Św. Jana 2, at the Wyspiański Pavilion (Pl. Wszystkich Świętych 2), in Sukiennice (Rynek Główny 1/3) and in the Tourist Services Centre (ul. Powiśle 11).

Entrance passes to the screening of the film

Free entrance passes will be available from the 4th of May in the box office of the cinema or in the office of the Foundation (Pl. Wszystkich Świętych 2, Wyspiański Pavilion, the 2nd floor, between 10.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m., Monday-Friday).

 

The City of Literature Foundation and the Krakow Festival Office in co-operation with the Krakow Literature Foundation and the Chair of Contemporary Critique of the Faculty of Polish Studies of the Jagiellonian University invite you to attend critical workshops.

The dispute over Polish poetry continues. One of the steady points of reference within that dispute is the poetry of Czesław Miłosz – ‘the most troublesome hero of this campaign’. The first line gathers critics who refer to the ‘steadfast centre’ marked by the ‘shadow of someone like Miłosz,’ whereas critics projecting Polish poetry ‘after Miłosz’ act in the second line.

Workshops devoted to the interpretation of poems by Czesław Miłosz and contemporary Polish poets will be conducted by recognised critics and authors of most recent literature. The workshops will be summarised by a panel in which persons conducting the workshops will participate during the 4th Miłosz Festival.

All people interested in contemporary poetry, particularly university students, are invited to participate.

DATES:

Lines ‘in the shadow of Miłosz’ and ‘after Miłosz’: 14.05.2015

Lines ‘in the shadow of Miłosz’ and ‘after Miłosz’: 15.05.2015

The panel summarising the workshops: 16.05.2015

 

REGISTRATIONS: You can register your participation not later than by the 30th April of 2015. The workshops are free of charge. The number of places is limited!

In order to register, send an e-mail to: warsztaty@fundacjamiastoliteratury.pl

Such an e-mail should include personal data, contact data and a short CV (maximum 1 page). The basis of eligibility for participation in the workshops will be an interpretation of a selected poem from one of the volumes of a poet from among the circle of guests of the 4th Miłosz Festival: Wojciech Bonowicz, Julia Fiedorczuk, Wioletta Grzegorzewska, Ryszard Krynicki, Klara Nowakowska, Marta Podgórnik, Krzysztof Siwczyk, Michał Sobol, Dariusz Sośnicki or Dariusz Suski. Texts must not be published beforehand and should not exceed 10,000 characters.

Workshops are conducted by:

Tomasz Kunz – an assistant professor at the Chair of Anthropology of Literature and Cultural Research of the Faculty of Polish Studies of the Jagiellonian University, a translator (e.g. of books by Zygmunt Bauman), the secretary of the editorial staff of the Wielogłos journal. A theoretician, historian and critic of modern literature. The author of the book Strategie negatywne w poezji Tadeusza Różewicza. Od poetyki tekstu do poetyki lektury [Negative Strategies in Tadeusz Różewicz’ Poetry: From the Poetics of the Text to the Poetics of Reading] (2005). He wrote: ‘After Miłosz – so actually when? Can we really say with good reason that we speak from positions that do not belong to the “time of Miłosz” chronologically any more? … I will ask about the possibilities of critical reading of Miłosz – which means why Miłosz has so many outstanding exegetes, but he does not have his strong revisionist deinterpreter.’

Krzysztof Siwczyk – a poet, an employee of the Mikołowski Institute, a reviewer (he collaborates, among others, with the Polityka weekly). He has recently published the poetry volume Dokąd bądź [To Anywhere] (2014) and the book Kinkiety w piekle. Felietony, teksty, rozmowy [Armand Lamps in Hell. Columns, Texts, Conversations] (2012). He wrote: ‘I feel that the attitude of the contemporary Polish poet to important cultural, historical, political and civilisation problems whose model sketch is presented in Miłosz’ works such as Tygrys [The Tiger] is not longer so significant and should not be regarded as an attitude to constantly different problems and constantly different contemporary times. Faced with the essential evolution of poetry, which was deprived of the virtue of linguistic transparency once and for all, …, we must take into account the modest possibilities of lyric poetry today.’

Piotr Śliwiński – a professor at the Institute of Polish Philology of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the creator and curator of the Poznań Poetów Festival, the chairman of the jury of the Gdynia Literary Award. He has recently published a collection of critical essays Horror poeticus (2012). He wrote: ‘… the space where should look for Miłosz is not necessary an individual poem – sometimes it can also be the sphere of poets’ dilemmas. … and here is the place of Miłosz – this is where the most important games are and will be played with him; not for the place vacated by the alpha poet – actually, he never was one – but for the matter of utmost importance: the very principle of poetry in the contemporary world.’

Marta Wyka – a professor of the Faculty of Polish Studies of the Jagiellonian University. A critic and historian of literature. She has recently published, among others, the monograph Miłosz i rówieśnicy. Domknięcie formacji [Miłosz and His Contemporaries. Closure of the Formation] (2013), in which she wrote: ‘Chronological “grandchildren” of the poet … have started the “liquidation process”. … This process continues, and various drafts of sentences are prepared, although it is not quite clear which instance would have to approve such a sentence. It drags out in time, and perhaps it is the time that will ultimately approve or cancel this sentence.’

Partners:
Krakow Literature Foundation
Chair of Contemporary Criticism of the Faculty of Polish Studies of the Jagiellonian University

 

The season of Krakow literary walks is open!

With the arrival of spring, we are setting out on trips to the corners of Krakow – UNESCO City of Literature again.A cycle of literary walks is an exceptional opportunity to broaden our knowledge of Krakow writers and Krakow references, anecdotes and biographical trivia connected with places that we pass by every day.Literary walks will be not only a peculiar way of “reading the city”, but also an opportunity to meet close friends or relatives of writers.Already in April, we invite you to take a walk in the trail of Stanisław Lem (the 25th of April) – the most frequently translated Polish author of all time.

The trail of Lem will show Krakow that became an asylum for the writer after he had left his beloved Lvov. It was here that the author of Solaris spent the most part of his adult life. During the walk, we will visit corners related to his professional life, including the office of Wydawnictwo Literackie, which published his works in Poland. We will also recollect places in memory of Lem and finally meet Wojciech Zemek – the Master’s personal secretary.

It is already the second season of readers’ walks across literary Krakow. We have already followed the traces of Krakow poets, visited the literary Nowa Huta on bicycles and the corners of Krakow present in detective stories, become familiar with limericks and other witty rhymes by Wisława Szymborska and cabaret songs from the Young Poland period and looked for the Krakow cheap bar realism. This time we invite avid readers and walkers to take a walk on Saturday the 25th of April.

NOTE! Participation in literary walks is free, but requires registration. Everyone willing to attend is invited to submit their registration by e-mail to: spacery@miastoliteratury.pl. The number of participants is limited – we advise you to register soon!

Further information and the program of literary walks for the year 2015 are available here

The first meeting in the Biblioteka Nowa cycle is over

In the ICE Kraków Congress Centre, the first meeting in the Biblioteka Nowa (New Library) cycle was held. Speakers from Poland and abroad presented challenges and directions of development of public libraries and the requirements that must be met so that they could fulfil their information, educational and integrative functions.

Biblioteka Nowa is a program of nationwide conferences aimed at elaborating the assumptions and direction of development of Polish public libraries for the next few years. The 1st edition, entitled Biblioteka 2020, czyli nowe wyzwania dla bibliotek publicznych(Library 2020 – new challenges for public libraries), was devoted to the changing role of libraries in modern society. The participants in the meeting included most outstanding experts in this field from Denmark, France, Germany and Great Britain.

The project is co-organised by the Krakow Festival Office.

photos by Bartosz Głowacki

Libraries of the Future – a nationwide debate

On the 15th of April, the Book Institute will inaugurate in Krakow a program of nationwide conferences entitled Biblioteka Nowa (New Library), the aim of which is to elaborate the assumptions and direction of development of Polish public liabilities for the upcoming years. The 1st edition, entitled Biblioteka 2020, czyli nowe wyzwania dla bibliotek publicznych (Library 2020 – new challenges for public libraries), will be devoted to the changing role of libraries in modern society. It will be attended by the most outstanding experts in this field from Denmark, France, Germany and Great Britain. The project is co-organised by the Krakow Festival Office.

During the first meeting, foreign speakers will present strategies and visions regarding the functioning of libraries that were prepared in their respective countries. Participants in the conference will learn what the ideal library of the future should look like and which tools must be used as a basis for creating strategies of its development. The presentation will concern social, legal and political frameworks that must be created in order for libraries to perform properly their information, educational and integrative tasks.

The first seminar will include speeches by: Brian Ashley – Director of Libraries in Arts Council (England), appointed twice for the National Executive of the Society of Chief Librarians, Jens Thorhauge – the long-year director of the Danish Agency for Libraries and Media, Emmanuel Aziza – the deputy director of Bibliotheque publique d’information (Centre Pompidou), as well as Klaus-Peter Böttger – the director of the municipal library in Essen. The debate summarising the seminar will be hosted by Grzegorz Gauden – Director of the Book Institute and Tomasz Makowski – Director of the National Library.

The seminar is a closed meeting addressed mainly to industry specialists who create the role and function of public libraries every day: directors and employees of public libraries, as well as representatives of municipal and provincial offices. Altogether, it will be attended by 200 recipients from the entire territory of Poland.

Biblioteka Nowa seminars will be held cyclically twice a year: in winter and in autumn. The program of five conferences will be carried out in the years 2015-2017. Further seminars will be devoted to the following topics, respectively: new concepts of libraries on the examples of the best European institutions, new architecture, a new offer and a new librarian. Further editions will be held in Warsaw and in Wrocław.

’For the last few years, the Book Institute has carried out programs aimed at helping public libraries to change into “centres of access to knowledge and culture” and into places meeting various expectations, such as: reliance on electronic media and digital resources, the support of “media literacy”, the creation of space for searches and inspirations, or the support of various age groups.Thanks to programs such as Biblioteka+, Infrastruktura Bibliotek, MAK+ or Szkolenia dla bibliotekarzy (which are being implemented within the framework of the National Readership Development Program), these changes are possible.From 2011 till the end of 2015, 245 library buildings in small towns will be built or modernised.Since 2010, 5,300 librarians have been trained.At the same time, however, it seems necessary to determine the direction of development of Polish public libraries on a more general basis in response to social needs in the times of advancing digitisation.And this is the purpose that the cycle of Biblioteka Nowa seminaries will serve,’says Grzegorz Gauden – Director of the Book Institute.

‘Krakow can boast the organisation of the most prestigious literary projects in this part of Europe,’ says Magdalena Sroka, Deputy Mayor of the City of Krakow for Tourism and City Promotion. ‘Krakow is becoming a global city, and the title of a UNESCO City of Literature and events related to it serve as a perfect intermediary between worlds of readers and writers.’The support of program events concerning the offer and functioning of municipal public libraries is one of the key elements of the strategy of Krakow – UNESCO City of Literature formulated in the application filed by Krakow in 2013, the Krakow Festival Office as an institution responsible for the preparation of the application and the operator of the title of UNESCO City of Literature supports and actively engages in initiatives on the municipal and nationwide level aimed at adapting the offer and function of public libraries to dynamically changing needs of the contemporary recipient of culture by organising a series of debates, events and projects aimed at improving the professional qualifications of librarians.

The seminar will be held in the ICE Kraków Congress Centre, which is operated by the Krakow Festival Office.

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