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Another Polish city joins ICORN!

The membership agreement under which Gdańsk joins the Interantional Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) was officially signed at the Festival of Arts in Gdańsk. Mayor Paweł Adamowicz and ICORN director Helge Lunde informed the public of the accession of Gdansk into the network at a press conference in the Günter Grass Gallery in Gdansk.

On 30 August 2017, an official agreement was signed on the accession of Gdańsk into the network of over fifty cities, such as Brussels, Frankfurt, Miami, Stockholm, Mexico City, whose activity is one of the strongest voices in defence of freedom of opinion and expression. The Gdansk City Gallery will become the coordinator of Gdańsk membership in the organisation.

Helge Lunde, executive director in ICORN, said about the accession of Gdańsk: More and more cities across the world are taking a stand for human rights and freedom of expression, opening up to become cities of refuge for writers and artists at risk. The values of solidarity, creativity and hospitality have for a long time been an important foundation to the City of Gdansk, and we are tremendously happy to be able to sign the ICORN membership agreement with Gdansk City Gallery on the evening of Wednesday 30 August. A core asset and quality of the ICORN network is exchange of resources, ideas and experiences between the member cities. We are convinced that the City of Gdansk will play vital role within the network, and in the struggle for international solidarity and freedom of expression as such.

ICORN – International Cities of Refuge Network – is an association of cities around the world engaged in defending freedom of expression and writers persecuted on political grounds who are hiding, incarcerated or subject to publication bans in their home countries. Gdańsk is the third Polish city in the network. Krakow was the first one to join in 2011, followed in 2015 by Wrocław, which has recently celebrated the arrival of its first scholarship holder.

In 2017, we celebrate the 160th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Conrad Korzeniowski, one of the most important representatives of world literature who was of Polish origin. The Krakow Festival Office and Krakow UNESCO City of Literature joined the celebration of the Conrad Year by organising a series of projects commemorating the writer and his relationship with Krakow.

We want to demonstrate that Joseph Conrad’s work can appeal to readers of all ages, and that the questions raised in his texts remain up to date even today.

Individual projects cover various fields of art and culture, using modern methods of promotion and education. Their theme is a journey understood as Conrad’s life path that started in Poland and led him to the furthest corners of the world. We want to emphasise the relationship of the author of Lord Jim with Krakow, the city where he lived from 1869 to 1874 and visited again in 1914. Therefore, during the Conrad Year, we will discover the traces of the writer’s presence not only in the texts on culture, but also in the urban space itself.

Workshops for children

Joseph Conrad was not only an outstanding writer, but also a man with a fascinating biography. We want to introduce Captain Conrad to his youngest future readers as a traveller, adventurer and explorer. We believe that learning about his attractive life story will encourage young people to read the writer’s works in the future. Classes are intended for children aged 5 to 12. As part of the “Between the Land and the Sea” series, eight workshops will be held on the occasion of events such as the Children’s Day, Miłosz Festival, Conrad Festival and St. Nicholas’ Day.

Creative Writing Course

On 22-23 July 2017, travel journalism workshops, inspired by travel and nautical tendencies in the work of the author of Typhoon, were conducted by Marcin Kącki and Dariusz Rosiak – journalists, reporters, leading representatives of Polish non-fiction genres. Participants were instructed how to give an account of their travels, had the opportunity to participate in field exercises, and learned about various forms of non-fiction literature.

Crime Workshops with Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad was a precursor of many popular literary genres, including modern crime novel (an example of which is “The Secret Agent”). Hence, the two-part programme of crime workshops includes a meeting with authors of popular detective novels who will introduce participants to the secrets of a writer’s workshop. One of the guests will be Filip Modrzejewski, the acquisition editor in the W.A.B. publishing company.

Literary Walks

A series of literary walks, which engage both locals and tourists in exploring the City of the Kings from its “literary” side, has enjoyed immense popularity for years. Accompanied by experts, the participants of the walks will track Conrad’s presence on the streets of Krakow. The action includes both open literary walks and walks on request for students and teachers.

Film Review

Joseph Conrad’s impact is not limited to literature; it is also present in popular culture and films. During the Conrad film review we will track Conrad’s influences in cinema. Meetings will be held in the Kino Pod Baranami cinema, and introductions provided by expert will serve as inspiration for exploration.

Reading Lessons with Joseph Conrad

Reading Lessons is a nationwide project to promote reading among teenagers that has been organised for many years by the Tygodnik Powszechny Foundation. The intention of these out-of-class meetings with literature is to encourage high school students to concentrate on reading and develop critical thinking. Participants will reflect together on how literature can provide answers to the most pressing challenges of the present day, such as issues related to migration, geopolitics, terrorism, otherness, travel and the widely understood crisis.

 

Conrad in Krakow – The Most Important Places

  • 12 Poselska Street – a plaque commemorating the place where Conrad lived with his gravely ill father, Apollo Korzeniowski;
  • Floriańska Street – according to the writer’s memoir, on this street, “on the second floor of the third house counting from St. Florian’s Gate” (which remains unidentified), there was a male dormitory where Conrad lived after his father’s death;
  • 9 Szpitalna Street – the building where Conrad lived with his grandmother, Teofila Bobrowska;
  • 12 Św. Anny Street – St. Anne Middle School (now Bartłomiej Nowodworski High School), most likely attended by Conrad;
  • 5 Sławkowska Street (Grand Hotel) – the hotel where Conrad stayed with his wife and sons during his visit to Krakow in 1914, on the eve of the outbreak of World War I,
  • Planty, the corner of Pijarska and Sławkowska Streets – Joseph Conrad’s literary bench, part of the City Codes project.

The last Krakow Book Fair this year will take place on 9 and 10 September in Marii Magdaleny Square. Stanisław Lem’s birth anniversary on the post-Fair Tuesday will serve as a theme for the nearest edition of this regular open-air book event. As always, a dozen or so antiquarians and booksellers from Krakow and the entire region will present their offers, accompanied by outdoor performances, literary walks and events inspired by the works of the most frequently translated Polish author of all time. Come and see the fantastic fair!

Hobbyist bookshop Fankomiks; antiquarian bookshops: Hulaj PoleSuszekAbecadłoSzafa Pełna Książek and 451 stopni; American Bookstore, and antiquarian bookshop Świat w Tunelu, as well as second-hand booksellers operating every week at Hala Targowa – the offer prepared for the last fair of the year will please all self-respecting bibliophiles. The Krakow Book Fair is a regular outdoor event by which Krakow – as the first and only Polish UNESCO City of Literature – promotes the idea of used book circulation and reminds the readers that good literature never grows old. The quaint marketplace of Św. Marii Magdaleny Square will not only let the visitors rummage through books but also rest on a deckchair with a book and a cup of delicious coffee from Bike Café.

The case of Stanisław Lem in Polish literature is very particular. Not only is he an author who, 11 years after his death, still boasts print runs worthy of any decent contemporary writer, but also a genius philosopher and futurologist whose visions often materialised before our very eyes. The September edition of Krakow Book Fair will be devoted to the most famous Polish sci-fi author: we invite you to an open-air performance based on Mortal Engines and Italo Calvino’s Cosmicomics narrated by the professional storyteller Mateusz Świstak, founder of Baśnie na warsztacie project (Saturday 9 September at 3:00 p.m.), the signing of a newly published biography – Lem. Życie nie z tej ziemi (Lem. A Life out of this world) – by Wojciech Orliński, and a walk through Krakow following in the footsteps of the author of Solaris.

During the fair, you can also come across a bike of the Flying Reading Room of the Voivodeship Public Library in Krakow, offering books to borrow for free and with no returning deadline.

Krakow Book Fair

Św. Marii Magdaleny Square
(between Grodzka and Kanonicza Streets)
9-10 September 2017
11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

The organiser of the Krakow Book Fair is the Krakow Festival Office, the operator of the Krakow UNESCO City of Literature Programme.

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The laureate of the Stanisław Vincenz New Culture of New Europe Award, presented at the Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland, is Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature, prominent Belarusian reporter, creator of the unique reporting method called the “collective novel” or “novel-oratorio”, and finally, a guest of the 7th edition of the Joseph Conrad International Literature Festival. On September 4th, the Nobel Prize winner will meet with readers at the International Cultural Centre in Krakow.

The Stanisław Vincenz New Culture of New Europe Award organised at the Economic Forum in Krynica has for several years been granted to people or institutions that have popularised Central and Eastern Europe culture in the world in exceptional ways. The monetary award (40 000 PLN) is presented by the

Jury, which is composed of the Chairman of the City Council of Krakow, a representative of the President of the City of Krakow, President of the Institute of Eastern Studies, previous laureates and representatives of institutions operating in the field of culture, science and education, all of whom were invited by the President of the City Council of Krakow. The importance of the topics raised by Alexievich in her journalistic and literary works, as well as the international fame that her creative approach to a difficult history of 20th century Russia and Belarus has brought on, were decisive factors in awarding the prize to this writer.

Svetlana Alexievich has accepted the organiser’s invitation to appear in-person at the Award Ceremony, which will take place during the inauguration of the 2017 Economic Forum in Krynica on September 5, 2017. The writer will meet with readers and fans of her work the day before at the International Cultural Centre in Krakow. The event will take place on September 4th at 20:00 and will be moderated by Łukasz Wojtusik.

The organisers of Svetlana Alexievich’s visit to Poland are the City of Krakow, the organiser and sponsor of the Stanisław Vincenz New Culture of New Europe Award, as well as the Krakow Festival Office, operator of the Krakow UNESCO City of Literature Program.

The organisers of the event are the Krakow Festival Office and the International Cultural Centre.

Free passes to the event are available at EVENEA

Svetlana Alexievich w Krakowie!

The most important literary festival in Poland and one of the Europe’s major festivals is ahead of us. For eight years we have hosted in Krakow the most outstanding writers from all over the world. We organise workshops, debates and film screenings. Also this year – at the 9th edition of the Conrad Festival under the motto ”Unrest”. But we need your help to our plans come true!

If you are interested in literature, want to meet the most outstanding writers from Poland and from abroad, to watch the Festival at work behind the scenes, don’t hesitate to join our team for the most emotional literary week in October.

We are looking for energetic, responsible and creative people who like team-working and have a command of English at an at least advanced level (other languages are welcome).

We are looking for people who will co-create a team organising the event. Festival volunteers will be involved in the work on the preparation and running the event, taking care of the Festival guests, and handling the festival centre and venues.

Are you interested?

Please send your CV  to the address wolontariat@biurofestiwalowe.pl

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FORM

Remember to attach the following clause to your CV:

I express my consent for the processing of my personal data by the Krakow Festival Office headquartered in Krakow ul. Wygrana 2 for the purpose of the recruitment process pursuant to the provisions laid down in the Act of 29 August 1997 on the protection of personal data (consolidated text, Journal of Laws of 2002., No 101, item. 926 as amended).

The expression of the above consent is voluntary, and the person expressing it is authorised to access his/.her personal data processed by the Krakow Festival Office on the basis of this consent, to change them and to correct them.

The Krakow Festival Office informs that the application without the above-mentioned declaration of consent to the processing of personal data will not be taken into account in the recruitment process.

We invite you to another literary walk, this time a cycling tour in Nowa Huta (be sure to take your bikes with you). A futuristic city, a palimpsest city, a utopian city. When sightseeing Nowa Huta, we will follow the track of fantasy and utopian literary creations while exploring the city’s multilevel structure and history. We will look into the smelting plant and take a peek beneath the surface of the city; we will investigate the amazing imagination of writers and poets. Whether it is because Nowa Huta was artificially formed or for other reasons – there is something about this “city near Krakow” that particularly stirs the imagination and expectations of literary artists. We will study this phenomenon. Propaganda literature and Lenin will pop up, as well as crime fiction and fantasy.

GUIDE: ŁUCJA MALEC-KORNAJEW

 

nowa-huta

registration at spacery@miastoliteratury.pl

Join the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Stanisław Lem that will take place from 9 to 12 September in Krakow. The whole programme includes LemCon – a great and unique meeting of fans of Stanisław Lem’s work,the premiere of Lem’s biography by Wojciech Orliński, the Krakow premiere of Autor Solaris (The Author of Solaris), a film directed by Borys Lankosz, a special edition of the Krakow Book Fair dedicated to Lem, and a reading lesson themed with The Invincible. Stanisław Lem, whose work continues to inspire successive generations of artists and scientists, would celebrate his 96th birthday on 12 September 2017. The event is organised by the City of Krakow and Krakow Festival Office, the operator of the Krakow UNESCO City of Literature programme.

The four-day long celebration of Lem’s birthday will begin on 9 September with a special meeting of Stanisław Lem’s fans from all over Poland in Arteteka in the Voivodeship Public Library in Krakow (12 Rajska Street). LemCon will bring together popularisation, scientific, academic and fan culture themes, and provide an opportunity to discuss the work of the world-famous author. Start at 12:00 p.m.

During the weekend (9-10 September), a special edition of the Krakow Book Fair (and the last one in 2017) will be held at Maria Magdalena Square where a dozen antiquarians and second-hand booksellers from Krakow and the region will present their offer. The fair will be obviously themed with the work of Stanisław Lem. As part of the fair (10 September), two meetings will be held on the occasion of the premiere of two extraordinary books: Różaniec (Rosary) by Rafał Kosik at 1:00 p.m., and Lem. Życie nie z tej Ziemi (Lem. A Life out of This World) by Wojciech Orliński at 2:00 p.m.

A real treat has been prepared for Sunday (10 September). Wojciech Orliński, the author of Lem. Życie nie z tej Ziemi, the first Polish biography of the writer published at the beginning of August by Czarne Publishing Company in co-edition with Agora Publishing Company, invites everyone to a unique walk around the city in the footsteps of Stanisław Lem. We would like to remind that Krakow UNESCO City of Literature is the patron of the book. Free entrance! The meeting place: Maria Magdalena Square at 3:00 p.m.

On Monday (11 September), a reading lesson themed with The Invincible will be held at Wyspiański Pavilion (2 Wszystkich Świętych Square). The Invincible is an excellent Polish example of the space opera genre, and one of Stanisław Lem’s most famous and most popular novels. The reading lesson will begin at 1:00 p.m. in Wyspiański Pavilion and will be led by Wojciech Orliński.

The culmination of the celebration will be Tuesday (12 September) evening at Kijów.Centrum cinema. The programme includes the Krakow premiere of Autor Solaris (2016), a film directed by Borys Lankosz, an award ceremony for the best mural inspired by Stanisław Lem’s work, and a debate with Wojciech Orliński and Boris Lankosz. Autor Solaris is an extraordinary story of the life and work of Stanisław Lem presented against the background of dramatic events of the 20th century. The film is narrated by Marek Kondrat, and in the staged biographical scenes, Lem will speak in the voice of a distinguished Polish theatrical actor Jan Peszek. Entry with free tickets available at  www.evenea.pl

lem-2017

The illustrator: Dagmara Matuszak

Organisers: The City of Krakow and Krakow Festival Office, the operator of the Krakow UNESCO City of Literature programme.

Partners: Czarne Publishing Company, Agora Publishing Company, Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishing Company, Lem Rigths, Skanska, Józef Dietl Foundation of Active Citizens, Galeria Krakowska, Krakowska Sieć Fantastyki, Voivodeship Public Library in Krakow, Pauza In Garden.

The best documentary authors will descend upon Krakow on 25-27 August. The second edition of the NON-FICTION Documentary Festival kicks off, this year themed around CHANGE.

The lineup of guests associated with literary reportage is impressive: Artur Domosławski, Justyna Kopińska, Paweł Smoleński, Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz, Tomasz Grzywaczewski, Aleksandra Lipczak, Konrad Kruczkowski, Jolanta Krysowata, Paweł P. Reszka, Marek Łuszczyna, Mateusz Marczewski, Dionisios Sturis, and – as part of the #opartenafaktach cycle – Remigiusz Ryziński.

In the radio documentary section within the “NON-FICTION Masters” cycle, we will meet the doyen of Polish reportage, Andrzej Mularczyk. Writer, reporter, screenwriter and radio journalist. A treasure trove of reporting knowledge (born 1930). The author’s eventful life is in itself a never-ending change; the festival will be a unique opportunity to see Mr Mularczyk live in Krakow. Moreover, we will meet Jolanta Krysowata (radio documentary Osieroceni; Orphaned, and literary reportage piece Skrzydło Anioła; Angel’s Wing, both describing a secret centre for Korean War victims) and Katarzyna Michalak (Niebieski płaszczyk; The Blue Coat – an amazing story awarded with Prix Italia).

The festival will also feature Magdalena Chodownik and Marcin Zaborowski with their fine exhibition Never Again. The photographers have used double exposure (overlapping of two pictures) to present past events that made the world shout “Never again!” superposed on the ongoing events of the same nature that recur. A meeting and an exhibition (Bitwa o Mosul; The battle of Mosul) will also be held by Marcin Suder, author of photo-reportages from several dozen countries that have been published in major newspapers and magazines around the world.

Two discussions will inaugurate and close this year’s festival. The opening debate, Europe – 2017 and what next?, about the dynamic changes that are underway in European societies, will be held by Aleksandra Lipczak (Ludzie z Placu Słońca), Margot Sputo (Kto Gdzie project) and Dionisios Sturis (Nowe życie. Jak Polacy pomogli uchodźcom z Grecji). The closing discussion, Reportage. Time for change?, will address changes in the Polish and world art of reportage, featuring Artur Domosławski, Professor Kazimierz Wolny-Zmorzyński and Paweł Szwed (Wielka Litera publishing house).

The team of hosts who will conduct this year’s meetings, still in formation, is equally ambitious: Błażej Strzelczyk, Łukasz Orbitowski, Alina Czyżewska, Magdalena Kicińska, Agnieszka Dwernicka (Olszewska), Łukasz Wojtusik and Michał Olszewski. The latest news on the hosts and guests is on the festival’s profile and website.

This year’s edition of the festival will be held in several locations: centre in Dolnych Młynów Street, Pauza In Garden café and Kawiarnia Literacka.

Admission to the festival is free.

 

non-fiction-2017

NON-FICTION Documentary Festival
25-27 August 2017
Dolne Młyny, Pauza In Garden, Kawiarnia Literacka

Jacek Dukaj – one of the best known science fiction writers in the world; Turkish sociologist Nilüfer Göle, journalist and biographer Magdalena Grzebałkowska; Iranian novelist Goli Taraghi; American author of gloomy visions of the future Hugh Howey; journalist and biographer Wojciech Orliński; prose writer Dorota Masłowska and Maciej Zaremba Bielawski – a reporter who lives in Sweden and writes in Swedish, are among writers who will visit Krakow in October and will be hosted at the Conrad Festival.

Jacek Dukaj is one of the world-renowned Polish science fiction writers.  Dukaj translated into Polish one of the most famous words by Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness. His translation under the new title Serce ciemności will be released at this year’s edition of the Festival, offering the opportunity for a debate on the topicality of Conrad’s vision of evil.

Turkish sociologists and publicist Nilüfer Göle has authored books and publications connected with Islam and the position of women in the Muslim world. Last year her book Muzułmanie w Europie devoted to tensions and conflicts in Europe based on religious and ethnic background saw print in Poland. For a few years Göle carried out research on disputes connected with the presence of Muslims in Europe. At the festival she will talk about the sources and development of cultural conflicts of key importance for the contemporary world.

Magdalena Grzebałkowska is a writer and a journalist, the author of Rev. Jan Twardowski’s and Tomasz and Zdzisław Beksiński’s biographies. The latter is an insightful and heartbreaking history of the Beksiński family, on the basis of autobiographic materials left by Zbigniew Beksiński. During the festival debate she will talk about the price one pays trying to capture every moment of one’s life.

Hugh Howey – American prose writer, specialising in science fiction literature. In his stories he describes the world after a disaster, in which unrest turns into a constant horror. He is the author of the best-selling series of novels Silos. Its plot developed in a post-apocalyptic reality , where people are forced to live in high silos cities, dug deep under the ground. Before starting his writing career, he worked as yacht captain, roofer and sound engineer. He published the first part of his series on his won via Amazon’s platform Kindle Direct Publishing. In Poland his book saw print in 2013 (translated by Marcin Kiszel), and other parts and in the years 2014 and 2015. During the Festival Hugh Howey will answer the question about  dystopian vision of our future.

Dorota Masłowska constantly looks at Poland and the Poles to catch us red-handed. Her debut book Wojna polsko-ruska pod flagą biało-czerwoną (2001)  was published when she was still a high school student just before the final exam. The book raised a lot of controversies. The scandalising ”first Polish hoodies novel”, brought about a generation change in Polish literature and a characteristic colloquial, collage-style aesthetics. Masłowska’s next book Paw królowej won the Nike Award  2006. She also authored two dramas Dwoje biednych Rumunów mówiących po polsku (2006)  and Między nami dobrze jest (2008). During the meet-the-author session with the readers Masłowska will talk about those aspects of our Polishness we are ashamed of but constantly cultivate.

Wojciech Orliński – a chemist by background, by profession: a journalist, publicist, writer, for years connected with ”Gazeta Wyborcza”. He writes about pop culture and socio-political issues of new media.  In 2007 his debut book devoted to Stanisław Lem saw print (Co to są sepulki? Wszystko o Lemie). His new book published in this year Lem. Życie nie z tej ziemi is also devoted to that writer. For the readers Lem is first of all his oeuvre: several dozen books by one of the greatest visionary writers of the 20th century. Orliński shows how closely Lem’s work was connected with his life story, and will talk about the relation between the writer’s life and work at the Conrad Festival.

Iranian novelist Goli Taraghi was born in Tehran. He graduated from Drake University, US. Before the Iranian revolution she lectured at the Tehran University. Before the Iranian revolution she lectured at the Tehran University, and after its closing emigrated to Paris together with her two children. She authored a dozen or so novels and collections of short stories, as well as numerous books on philosophy and literature. Her characters are usually people hovering somewhere in-between tradition that excludes individuality but offers comfort and modernity which is chaotic, but offers a space for independence. During the Conrad festival she will participate in the debate on a society that has reached an impasse.

Maciej Zaremba Bielawski – a reporter living in Sweden and writing ins Swedish is well known to the audience of the Conrad Festival. He emigrated to Sweden in 1969 .He became known for his book about Swedish eugenics, which saw print in Poland in 2011 under the title Higieniści. From 2013 to 2016 he was a member of the jury of the Ryszard Kapuściński Award for literary reportage. Together with his wife Agneta Pleijel, he translated Zbigniew Herbert’s poetry into Swedish. In 2013 his book Polski hydraulik i nowe opowieści ze Szwecji saw print. At a meeting with the audience of the Conrad Festival he will talk about what we can expect of a reporter these days.

We should add that Siri Hustvedt, Agneta Pleijel, Adam Hochschild, Wojciech Brzoska, Maria Dąbrowska, Frédéric Boyer and Serge Bloch have already confirmed their presence at the Festival.

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