The Polish Studies Center Newsletter

Indiana University • Bloomington, Indiana • Spring 2011

Director’s Welcome By Padraic Kenney

“Partnership” was the common theme frst trip to the United States. at the Polish Studies Center this past Writer and translator put on a year. Reaching across campus and great show to a packed house across the Atlantic, we are building in April. In October, I teamed and strengthening the ties that keep up with Solidarity legend Wi- Polish Studies at the center of inter- told Łuczywo (pictured at national activity at Indiana University. right) to teach a course on No program better encapsu- underground printing. Read lates these efforts than our Artists- about these two events in- in-Residence scholarships. For the side. second year in a row, we’re support- The most important Witold Łuczywo teaches students underground printing ing three young musicians from the partnerships are at home. methods. Jacobs School of Music at IU. If you I’d like to thank Vice Presi- New but familiar sounds can be heard have not been to an AIR concert in dent for International Affairs Patrick at the Center. In one room, the Ar- Bloomington or Chicago, learn about O’Meara, and his offce, for their chive of Historical and Ethnographic the group in these pages. For an ama- continued support of PSC initiatives. Yiddish Memories project explores teur in the world of classical music The College Arts and Humanities In- hundreds of interviews with Yiddish like me, seeing three musicians come stitute has been instrumental in sev- speakers recorded in Eastern Europe together to develop a concert pro- eral recent projects, especially the (including Poland and the kresy); gram is quite inspiring. underground course. Here at 1217 across the hall, IU students are learn- Two personal partnerships en- E. Atwater, Bill Johnston has steered ing Yiddish. Sometimes you can stand ergized Polish Studies this past year. the PSC for most of the last decade. in the corridor and hear Yiddish and Bill Johnston has been translating the Thank you, Bill, for making the Center Polish simultaneously, reviving the work of acclaimed novelist and essay- such a lively place! We are lucky that great multilingual tradition of Poland ist Andrzej Stasiuk for a decade. To our Graduate Assistant Raina Polivka here in Bloomington. celebrate their latest success, the es- could return for a second year, and More partnerships are in the say collection Fado, Stasiuk made his that Gosia Swearingen could come offng. Watch for news about other back as Administrative Assistant and East European visitors this summer, IN THIS ISSUE: help me ease into the director’s chair. and a project with the Polish Embassy By the time you read this, Gosia will Artists in Residence 2 this fall. And consider how you can have left us again, but we’ll be seeing Trade Union Exhibit 3 partner with us! Your support of our Solidarity in the Classroom 4-5 her and her family at PSC events. Stop programs is vital to our future. Come Alumni Profle: Franciszek Lyra 6-7 by the Center and greet our new as- to an event, make suggestions for new Literary Corner 10-11 sistant, Kate Whipple. Kate was once programs, and please donate to the Faculty & Student News 12-13 active in the Polish Student Associa- A Year in Photos 14-15 PSC. I look forward to your continuing tion here, so she’s also an old friend. membership in the community. 2 Polish Studies Center at Indiana University 2010 Artists in Residence Celebrate Polish Composers by Raina Polivka In Spring 2010 beautiful melodies and soprano Laura Waters sweeping Fryderyk Chopin’s birth. from some of Poland’s most famous audience members off their seats Concluding the concert was composers befell the ears of audi- with beautiful arias and graceful a performance Edward Auer, Pro- ence members from as far away as librettos, the performace was an fessor of Piano at Jacobs School of Chicago to IU’s own Auer Hall. homage to the contributions made Music, IU, who is the frst American The Polish Studies Center by Polish musicians to the musical to win a prize in the Chopin Inter- Artists-in-Residence gave two ex- world. The musicians then went on national Competition of Warsaw. cellent instrumental and vocal per- to perform formances to highlight Polish classi- at the Cho- cal music from Chopin and beyond. pin Theatre The event, co-sponsored by in Chicago, the Offce of the Vice President of where they International Affairs and the Jacobs participated School of Music, featured music by in a musical Chopin, Moniuszko, Lutosławski, celebration Szymanowski, Bacewicz, and commemo- Karłowicz. rating the With Alexandre Tsomaia on 200th an- piano, Rafał Zyskowski on viola, niversary of Pianist Alexandre Tsomaia accompanies Soprano Laura Waters on Moniuszko’s aria “On tu przybywa.” Introducing the 2010-11 Artists in Residence by Raina Polivka

This year, the Polish Studies Center region as representatives of the She is currently pursuing her D.M. awarded $500 to one artist each in Polish Studies Center. with Emilio Colon as his Assistant voice, cello, and piano to serve as Soprano Alyssa Cox recent- Instructor, and she holds a M.M. at Artists in Residence for 2010-11. ly completed a fve year program IU and a B.M. from the University As ambassadors of Polish music, with a B.M. in Voice and a M.M. in of Texas at Austin. these students are asked to partic- Opera at the Oberlin Conservatory Michael Pecak, a native ipate in two events per semester of Music. In Fall 2009 she began Chicagoan, began playing the pi- in Bloomington or elsewhere in the post-graduate studies at Indiana ano at age fve. In 2008, Michael University, where she graduated from Northwestern Uni- currently studies with versity where he earned his B.M. Carol Vaness. degree specializing in both Piano Jinhee Han, a cellist Performance and Orchestral Con- and a native of South ducting. He is a laureate of the Korea, was a principal prestigious Kosciuszko Foundation cellist of the Philhar- Chopin Piano Competition in New monic Orchestra and the York, NY where he earned special Symphony Orchestra at recognition for his performance of IU under the batons of Szymanowski’s music. Leonard Slatkin, David Left to Right: Alyssa Cox, Jinhee Han, and Michael Pecak. Effron, and Cliff Colnot. Spring 2011 Newsletter 3 Exhibit Showcases The History of the Workers’ Movement Collection Curated by Wookjin Cheun Communist regimes placed a high priority on commu- tions from two diametrically opposed political enti- nicating with the population. They needed to convey ties of modern Poland, the Communists and the Oppo- aspects of Communist ideology to ensure that people sition. The exhibit featured the recent acquisitions of could identify important leaders, understand social the Library of the History of the Workers’ Movement and economic trends, recognize internal and exter- (Biblioteka Historii Ruchu Zawodowego, or BHRZ) in nal enemies, and know about upcoming celebrations Warsaw. Materials displayed are part of The History or other mass events. Workers—whether they were of the Workers’ Movement Collection, found only at members of the Party (in Poland, the Polish United Indiana University—Bloomington (see The PSC News- Workers’ Party, PZPR) or not—were the most impor- letter, Spring 2010 for more details). tant target for this information. For this reason, the Symposium: Party, the government, and the trade unions published daily, weekly, and monthly papers in print runs of tens The Solidarities of Communism or hundreds of thousands. They were not intended to turn a proft, but to saturate the workers’ environ- The thirtieth anniversary of Solidarity, Poland’s ment, becoming the total source of information. greatest contribution to the toppling of commu- The Polish Opposition that emerged in the late nism, coincided with the arrival in Bloomington of 1970s recognized this. Even before they could ask the Library of the Trade Union Movement. These people to imagine a different political or economic two events provided the context for a symposium, system, they had to provide alternative sources of in- “The Solidarities of Communism: Trade Unions and formation. These news sources (like Biuletyn Infor- Social Policy in Eastern Europe.” macyjny, frst published in the underground in 1976) Four scholars presented papers related in promised readers the plain truth about the Communist some way to the new trade union collection and to regime and its repressive policies. When the opposi- the Solidarity anniversary. Brigitte LeNormand, a tion blossomed in August 1980, producing a massive historian from IU-Southeast, spoke on “The House independent social movement/trade union, Solidar- that Socialism Built: Reform, Consumption and In- ity, it brought the underground press into the light. equality in Postwar Yugoslavia,” a talk that dove- However, December 1981’s declaration of martial law tailed neatly with that by Professor Małgorzata sent Solidarity and its press underground again. Fidelis of the University of Illinois-Chicago, on The October 2010 exhibit presented publica- “Trade Unions And The Question Of Gender Equal- ity In Postwar Poland, 1945-49.” These papers re- minded us that Communism’s success and failure rested above all on its ability to provide goods to workers. In the second panel, Tomasz Inglot of Min- nesota State University-Mankato considered the fate of this welfare state, in “Trade Unions And The Polish ‘Emergency Welfare State’—A Critical Reas- sessment.” Finally, Gerald Beyer of Saint Joseph’s University reminded us of Solidarity’s ambitions to remake the social order, in “The Discourse and Left."Let's Protect Our Eyes at Work." Work safety and Ideals of Solidarity: Beyond Communism Towards a hygiene was a common theme of Communist trade union publications. Republic of Equals.” Commentary was provided by Right. A worker reading a Solidarity publication during a Professors Padraic Kenney and Jack Bielasiak of IU. sit-in strike at a repair shipyard in Gdańsk (August 1988). 4 Polish Studies Center at Indiana University

Solidarity in Action: Revolution, Printing, and the Student Experience By Raina Polivka

As if you could sense the watchful ties Institute, brought activ- eyes of Communist informants or ist and founding Solidarity hear the wail of police sirens rush- member, Witold Łuczywo to ing to surpress the Uprising, stu- the IU campus. dents in Professor Padraic Kenney’s “Technology of Revolution” class Return to the Underground spent a sunny Saturday afternoon Born the 23rd of Sept., 1946 in in October in the murky Polish Dąbrowa Górnicza, Łuczywo Studies Center basement building became an active participant printing presses to print materi- in Polish protests and demon- als detailing revolutions past and strations against the Commu- present. nist regime from a young age. As part of a university-wide While he was involved with initiative to commemorate the university strikes and worker founding of Solidarity, the Polish walkouts in the late 1960s- workers’ opposition movement early 1970s, he discovered that brought down communist rule that he could reach a wider Łuczywo teaches students how to build screen- printing frames. in the 1980s, Kenney’s class com- audience and have a louder tions and police interference: he bined seminars in historical revo- voice through publishing and dis- was arrested 25 times for 48 hours lutions with hands-on experiences. tributing leafets and newspapers each, and his house was searched To accompany the students on advocating solidarity among the as many times by the secret police. their journey to the underground, public and an end to communism. Łuczywo went into hiding un- the Polish Studies Center with help From 1977-1980 Łuczywo was der a false name when Martial Law from the College Arts and Humani- co-founder and publisher of the was declared on 13th December independent biweekly paper 1981. In the years 1982-1984 he Robotnik (The Worker). In resurfaced and became co-founder order to conceal publishing and publisher of a weekly Tygodnik activities from the authori- Mazowsze (The Mazovia Weekly), ties, he invented and per- which would become the largest fected underground printing paper of the underground Solidar- methods such as adapting ity movement. the technique of silkscreen Since the fall of communism in printing for the underground Poland, Łuczywo continues to stay serials and using shoe polish active in politics and journalism, instead of the expensive and but fnds he is most drawn to the conspicuous ink jars. Thanks innovative techniques designed to to the innovations circulation facilitate communication and the grew from several hundred to spread of information. He has since 60,000 in August 1980. In the made a living through electrical years 1977-1980, Łuczywo’s engineering. Setting the print. life was riddled with disrup- Spring 2011 Newsletter 5

The Underground Comes to we can say things like Bloomington censorship, but often we While IU students didn’t face the don’t understand what threat of incarceration or inter- that really entailed for rogation, they did construct and the people experiencing use the tools from the period of it.” restrictions and government prohi- The class consisted bitions. of both undergraduate Mixing ink with oil soap to and graduate students of make it suitable for silk screen- disciplines ranging from ing, washing screens between Journalism to Interna- print runs in the upstairs shower, tional Studies. For many, and even muffing typewriters with this was the frst they Designing the publication by hand. towels to avoid outsider detection, heard of underground Palestinian confict of today. students experienced what it was printing and the power these low- In keeping with the spirit of like to live and publish in an era tech presses had on changing pub- the Polish underground press, stu- of extreme and oppressive govern- lic policy and social structure. dents distributed newspaper cop- ment censorship. ies clandestinely, by Mary Werden, a Sometimes we tend to take history for granted, not suprising unsuspect- graduate student in appreciating the choices and circumstances that ing passersby out- History commented, “I shape the actions and decisions of those people we side of Ballantine study the communist study. I think the most important aspect was the Hall and People’s period in Poland, so immediacy the course brought to the idea of history. Park with a furry of it’s important to un- —Mary Werden revolutionary mate- derstand the circum- rials. Students also stances ordinary peo- gave a public pre- ple faced everyday. In the West, Indeed, when not construct- sentation of underground printing ing their own press, students techniques after a viewing of the were learning about demo- flm, Strike, by Volker Schlondorff. cratic social movements and Łuczywo’s visit to IU came the role of dissident jour- on the tail end of his frst trip to nalism in movements from the United States. His participa- around the world. tion and instruction in the course Students applied these certainly made an impact on the lessons to their fnal project: students. Łuczywo told one Her- using their own presses, stu- ald Times reporter, “I’m very sur- dents published leafets, a prised they are so enthusiastic. newspaper—entitled Solidar- This seems to be a great adventure ni—and a poster detailing the for them.” complexities and historical signifcance surrounding op- Want a copy of Solidarni, a souvenir position movements from as of the new Polish underground? far back as the Haitian Revo- Contact the Polish Studies Center, lution at the turn of the nine- The work table. and we’ll send you one! teenth century to the Israeli- 6 Polish Studies Center at Indiana University

Alumni Interview: Franciszek Lyra by Raina Polivka

Arriving in Bloomington, Indiana in August, 1959, to begin graduate work in bilingualism and American literature, Franciszek Lyra would become the frst Polish citizen to earn an advanced degree from Indi- ana University. In 1962, Lyra was awarded a Ph.D. for his work in the Linguistics Department and has since then gone on to teach and mentor students at the University of Warsaw interested in American studies. This spring, I spoke with Dr. Lyra about his time in the United States and how it impacted his life back in Po- land. From a small college town in the Midwest to the hometown of WiIlliam Faulkner in Mississippi, from Ginsburg’s visit for a poetry reading with rock ‘n roll the halls of the White House to a small Polish town in the background, to what appeared to me a bashful in Texas, Mr. Lyra’s adventures led him through the audience. No symptoms of the soon to follow social heartland of the United States in order to understand upheaval, the Civil Rights movement, feminism, etc. some of his favorite writers and to discover parts of During my three years at IU I never met an himself. American of Polish descent in town. In the university setting, however, I was immediately introduced to When I learned that I was the recipient of a scholar- several colleagues of Polish descent. All told, there ship to attend any American university of my choosing, were four of us—a small Polish community indeed, but I went to a large map of the United States and looked one that would survive to this day. for a university that was near the heart of the country. It was precisely through one of these friend- You see, ever since I was in high school, following the ships that I was led to the oldest Polish community in horrid events of World War II, I was captivated by the the United States: Panna Maria, Texas. The town is so vision of a united Europe—embedded in the oxymoron small that it did not even show up on the Rand McNally “e pluribus unum.” Later, I learned of its presence in Road Atlas! the seal of the United States. By choosing a Midwest- In the summer of 1960, I traveled to Panna Ma- ern location for my transient life in America, I thought ria, Texas to collect linguistic material for my disserta- I would be able to appreciate the nature of unity in tion on Polonia, or the Polish diaspora, by interviewing the myriad ingredients that make up the United States fourth and ffth generation residents of the small vil- of America. lage who were still speaking the Silesian dialect. In retrospect, the IU community back then, Even though Polonia, the outcome of depo- largely remained untouched by the swelling counter- lanization, is a phenomenon most prevalent in urban culture that was sweeping the nation. The community areas where large communities of Polish immigrants seemed oblivious to the fact that it was still living in gather, Panna Maria, Texas and other surrounding the shadows of the most bucolic decade in American Polish-named hamlets, provided a unique insight into history: a time of moral and social conformity, a doc- the roots of Polonia through the perspective of a ile style of living refected, for instance, in the white hundred-year history and the transition from Polish- bobby socks and neat bow ties worn by students in the ness to Americanness via bilingualism and bicultural- lecture halls, or the boys cruising in behemoth cars ism brought about by the radio, tv, the car, and the with stately fns. The only evidence of the simmering withdrawal of the Polish language from schools and anti-establishment movement I witnessed was Allen churches. Spring 2011 Newsletter 7

From today’s perspective, the waves of post- WWII Polish immigrants hardly ft the paradigm of Pol- A Message of Thanks ish immigration of the last quarter of the 19th century by Iwona Dembowska-Wosik and the beginning of the 20th. Many of today’s Polish immigrants to America are highly cultured refugees I bet this is how getting an Academy Award must and are averse to being identifed as Polonians, par- feel—you’re there, on the top of the world, still ticularly as hyphenated Americans, or as Americans not believing in what’s just happened but starting though they often accept American citizenship. Such to feel that you have just accomplished something was the case, for example, with Czesław Miłosz and great and…you’re speechless. Maria Kuncewiczowa. My last semester in Bloomington is passing Studying and living in the United States fueled by and it is hard to believe I have been here for my interest in American literature. Among my favor- two years and must now return to Poland. ite writers are Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson, I am so grateful that I could come here to and Flannery O’Connor. I am particularly interested in teach Polish. It has been a dream come true and the works of William Faulkner and during a summer every minute of it was worth leaving home. Each vacation, I traveled to his hometown in Oxford, Missis- day I wake in the morning and the thought that I sippi to tread in his footsteps—to live up to Goethe’s am going to teach in 2 hours makes me happy. Be- famous motto: “Wer den Dichter will verstehen, muss ing with my students is awesome on many levels: in Dichters Lande gehen” (Who would the poet un- they ask me questions that blow my mind, they derstand,/Must visit in the poet’s land). The visit to speak Polish better and better every week, and Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County/Jefferson County they amaze me with their dedication. I teach them contributes substantially to a better understanding vocabulary, grammar, and I try to show them what of his work. In teaching American literature I have it means to be Polish. They in turn make me dis- always drawn students’ attention to the geography of cover something new about Poland, our language the authors’ lives and contents of their work when- or the world in general almost every day. ever applicable. In the fall, for example, thanks to my stu- Apart from having had the opportunity to col- dents, I found out how much fun it is to direct a lect material for my future book on Faulkner (pub- commercial for the Polish language course, while lished after my return to Poland; it had two editions they turned into actors and TV and radio present- in the 1960s), I also came face to face with America’s ers for the Slavic Department Talent Show. greatest evil—segregation. Indeed, I am fortunate to Earlier, Natalie Misteravich, a student, or- have been in the United States during a time that was ganized a workshop in decorating pisanki-- tradi- so loaded with the onset of change and charged with tional Easter eggs. Isn’t it funny that I had to come the challenges and anticipations of reform. I even got to the other side of the world to learn a Polish to shake hands with President John F. Kennedy in No- tradition! (Thank you, Natalie!) vember 1961 to help commemorate International Stu- There were also moments of pride, espe- dents Day. cially during the master class and the spelling bee organized by Professor Jolanta Tambor from Franciszek Lyra has written about Polish-American the University of Silesia in Katowice, who was our literature and helped to found the English Depart- guest in October. ment at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. He has While I anticipate my return home to Poland taught classes in American Studies at University of will bring transition and change, it flls me with joy Warsaw, and since his retirement has been working to to know how much I grew to love my home here in create an alumni association for other Polish Indiana Bloomington. University graduates and friends. Dziękuję! 8 Polish Studies Center at Indiana University

Smolensk Tragedy Brings Polish Studies Film Series People Together Goes International Few moments in recent memory brought Poles and Po- Following on the heels of a successful flm series lonophiles in Bloomington closer to their friends and from last Spring, the Polish Studies Center continues relatives in Poland than the tragedy of April 10, 2010, to provide viewing opportunities that take audience when an airplane carrying Poland’s president, his wife, members beyond Poland, into the Hungarian, Roma- and 94 others crashed near Smolensk, Russia, killing all nian, Bosnian and even Russian cinematic landscape. aboard. Some attended a mass held in a Bloomington FIlms range from mordant comedy with the agonies of church to remember the victims. Many gathered for a a mother-daughter relationship in Budapest as repre- discussion of the tragedy and its consequences, led by sented in Fresh Air (dir. Ágnes Kocsis and Andrea Rober- Professor Bill Johnston and Padraic Kenney. The Polish ti, Hungary, 2006) to the devastating story of atrocities Studies Center received many notes of condolence. committed against women in the 1990’s Bosnian War as revealed through As If I Am Not There (dir. Juanita Wilson, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010). There is ample opportunity to watch recent Polish flm releases, too, such as: Rewers (2009), Dom zły (2009), and 33 sceny z życia (2008). Co-sponsored with REEI and the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, flms will be shown at the Student Building on IU Campus at 7:30, two Thurs- day evenings a month until the end of the Spring se- mester. Check out our website for more details. www.indiana.edu/~polishst Memorial display prepared by Iwona Dembowska-Wosik

Auction Raises $2000 for Polish national Affairs for sponsorship; and to those who do- Studies nated items: Mary McGann, Steve and Karen Franks, Iwona Dembowska-Wosik, Izabela Ziółkowska-Kenney, The bidding was lively at an auction fundraiser at the Nita Levison, and Magda Sokolowski. We hope this is home of Ivona and Ray Hedin earlier this month. Pol- the start of a new tradition. ish folk art, paintings, photographs, and other items – To donate to the Polish Studies Center, please even an IOU for loaves of fresh bread – attracted a lot make checks payable to the “IU Foundation” and be of interest. This event, the frst in memory among the sure to write “Polish Studies Center” or “The Polish friends of Polish Studies in Bloomington, raised over Century Fund” in the memo portion of the check. $2000 for the Center and for the new Polish Century Checks should be sent to: Club Endowment. IU Foundation Thank you, everyone, for your generosity! Spe- Polish Studies Center cial thanks to our hosts, the Hedins; to auctioneer Bill Post Offce Box 500 Johnston; to the Offce of the Vice President for Inter- Bloomington, IN 47402 We thank you for thinking of us in these diffcult economic times. Spring 2011 Newsletter 9

Endowment to Fund Polish Studies Students by Raina Polivka We would like to thank Founded in 1987 by Edward J. Ze- Fund in recognition of the impor- the following people browski, the Polish Century Club of tant contributions made to the for their generous Indianapolis, Indiana worked “to study of Polish culture by Indiana donations to the translate from Polonia and trans- University’s Polish Studies Center. Polish Studies Center: mit to the public the basic spiritual The fellowship funds IU students characteristics of Polish Culture.” pursuing Polish studies and faculty With the active support of and students involved in Warsaw Mirka & Michael Berkvam its members and allies in the com- University exchange programs. munity, the Polish Century Club Thanks to continued sup- James P. Czechanski hosted an eclectic assortment of port from the Polish Century Club events including dinner and dance and from our generous donors, the Mary & Richard Hermanowski nights celebrating “Bigos,” the fellowship has reached endow- meat stew considered Poland’s na- ment status surpassing $10,000. Suellen Hoy & Walter Nugent tional dish, and “Dyngus,” or Eas- This money will not only ter Monday, as well as Super Bowl help the Polish Studies Center con- Olga Kalentzidou & Stephen Ball Parties, International Polka Festi- tinue to provide resources and ser- vals and the annual pig roast. vices to its affliates, but will also James Krysiak In 1994, the Polish Century further the opportunities available Club, under the presidential lead- to those interested in Polish lan- Matthew L. Lillich ership of Danielle Korson, admin- guage and culture. istered The Polish Century Club of Maria M. Michalczyk-Lillich Indianapolis, Indiana Fellowship Maria Mastalerz A New Way to Support Polish Studies by Padraic Kenney Alice & Edward Meros The Polish Studies Center is striv- Century Club Endowment. Please Felicia Smigiel ing to fnd ever new ways to con- consider contributing to the en- nect with students, with the com- dowment. Contributions to this Charlene Soby munity, and with our colleagues fund will go to support students in Poland. We hope to present the interested in Poland and research Dorothy Sudakoff latest in knowledge about Polish on Poland. history, literature, arts, politics, The Polish Studies Center Nathaniel Wood and society, and to encourage new also welcomes donations to sup- explorations and create the next port the many activities we spon- generation of Polish scholarship. sor during the year. Please con- Our events and We believe those goals are sider adding your support to our programs are made the ones shared by everyone in work. possible by our community. We know they are For more information contributions from the ones that motivated the Polish about ways you can give to the Century Club of Indianapolis, more Polish Studies Center, please visit the friends of the than 15 years ago, to create a new our website at: Polish Studies Center. scholarship fund, now the Polish www.indiana.edu/~polishst/ 10 Polish Studies Center at Indiana University From the reek of cabbages to the world of plastics: Andrzej Stasiuk reads to a packed audience at IU In Spring 2010 Andrzej Stasiuk, one of Poland’s most already undergone the shuffing of power and the important contemporary writers and public intellec- repartitioning of borders. Heralding the onset of the tuals, made his American debut at Indiana University twenty-frst century, Stasiuk leaves the reader with where he gave a talk and bilingual reading with IU this: “from the reek of cabbages, you’ve entered the Professor Bill Johnston. A gifted travel writer, Stasiuk world of plastics.” has journeyed widely in Central and South-East Eu- The Polish Studies Center event was made pos- rope and has been a notable voice in recent debates sible by The Horizons of Knowledge Lecture Series and about regional identity and the post-1989 experiences was co-sponsored by the Creative Writing Program and of the postcommunist states. REEI. Stasiuk and Johnston read to a packed house He and his wife Monika Sznajderman togeth- of students, fac- er run one of Poland’s leading publishing houses, ulty, and Polish Wydawnictwo Czarne, which has served as a major enthusiasts from venue for up-and-coming writers and for translated all disciplines. fction and non-fction. Stasiuk himself, has become Following the one of the most widely translated Polish authors of reading, Stasiuk his generation. Four of his books have appeared in traveled to New English, including two—the novel Nine and the book York City where of essays Fado—translated by Johnston. he participated Known for his perceptive wit and discerning in open readings eye, Stasiuk’s work ushers the reader into the heart with Patti Smith of Central Europe, where the countries’ rich tradi- and Salman Rush- tions and cultures are permanently inscribed on the die at the 2010 landscape and its inhabitants. Revealing “the face of PEN World Voices a continent”, Stasiuk explores the effects of Festival. capitalism and consumerism on a coutryside that has Anna Niedźwiedź’s The Image and the Figure An anthropologist teaching at the Institute of Ethnology image served as one of the most popular symbols and Cultural Anthropology at Jagiellonian University, of resistance—combining religious and national and and IU Visiting Scholar alum, Anna Niedźwiedź’s dimensions. Nowadays, countless copies of the original latest book looks at contemporary representations of image can be seen not only in churches but also on Our Lady of Częstochowa, streets, above building gates, in shops, cafeterias, in the most famous and the public places like offces and libraries, or in public most venerated holy image transportation as well as in private cars where drivers in Poland. Characteristics often hang it above the steering wheel. Niedźwiedź’s of the image – the outline The Image and the Figure examines the popular of the Virgin with Child on symbolic and mythological meanings embodied by her lap, the dark face of this fgure. Mary, and the scars visible on her right cheek – are all very well known in Poland. Niedźwiedź, A. The Image and the Figure: Our Lady of During the communist Częstochowa in Polish Culture and Popular Religion period (1945-1989) the (Jagiellonian University Press, 2010). Spring 2011 Newsletter 11 Bill Johnston translates Myśliwski’s Stone upon Stone by Raina Polivka “The war will be won not by bullets, but by feet,” mus- nitude and unique complexity, I am only now qualifed es narrator Szymek in Wiesław Myśliwski’s novel Stone to take on this project.” upon Stone, newly translated by IU’s Bill Johnston. Set As the title suggests, the book builds from in the rural landscape of the Polish countryside, Stone one story to the next, carefully constructing a narra- upon Stone tells the story of one man’s journey from tive that is as close to the land as it is to the speak- impetuous youth to the many roles and adventures er, our narrator Szymek. It is precisely this attention that befall him in a small village through wartime and to language that brought Johnston back to the book. the tranquility of old age. Considered Myśliwski’s most “This book is erroneously categorized as ‘peasant lit- celebrated work, Stone upon Stone is a meticulously erature.’ While it is true that Myśliwski links language crafted epic story with place, dialects and locations are left intentionally taking the author ambiguous. It is in this indistinguishable pan-peasant over ten years Polish landscape, that the novel takes on mythical fea- to fnish. Though tures—where Szymek is the everyman suffering and liv- Johnston’s trans- ing in the everywhere.” Indeed, the language itself, at lation did not once pithy and earthy, almost seems to come from the take nearly as land—as if the stories shared with the reader will be long, he does ad- passed on and, like the earth that bears markings and mit that he frst memories of human folly and delight, endures. encountered the Johnston shared his translation with a packed book over twenty house early this year. A book signing and Q & A followed years ago. “Trans- the reading. lating is a craft. I feel that for a Stone upon Stone is available in paperback from Archi- book of this mag- pelago Press. An Adventure in Polish Reference Sources: 2010-2011 Faculty Exchange by Wookjin Cheun I had no complaints about my stay in Warsaw, beginning with Józef Andrzej Załuski of the 18th well, except for the unusually early winter. Three century. Although his magnum opus, Bibliotheca Polona consecutive days at -15 C with 10 cm of snow everyday magna universalis, was never published and its original forced some stores to close earlier than usual. But manuscript destroyed in late 1944, he evidently set the the university library (BUW), an impressively modern curve for future Polish librarians and bibliographers. six-story building on Dobra Street, did not seem too The 19th and 20th centuries witnessed a continued concerned about these “adversities” of nature, stream of magnifcent, grand-scale reference works and for that I was immensely grateful because the in Poland. Clearly towering over all these great works dependence of my project on the library was almost was Karol Estreicher’s (1827-1908) Bibliografa polska, total. While in Warsaw, I planned to examine de visu at the 34-volume encyclopedic national bibliography, least 50 “landmark” reference works (encyclopedias, consisting of more than 200,000 entries. The author, a dictionaries, bibliographies) of Poland, with the Slavic trained lawyer who worked at the courts of Warsaw and Bibliography class that I teach every other year in Lwów, spent his entire adult life on this bibliography. mind, and to gather sources on the history of Polish How he made it and, most of all, what drove him to bibliography for journal publication. Poland is a nation pursue such a grand national project under foreign with a long list of signifcant reference works, usually rule, would be an interesting story. 12 Polish Studies Center at Indiana University

Faculty News the Chopin Theatre, Chicago, March Lem’s classic science fction novel 20, 2010 (see p. 2). While Goldberg Solaris. continues to contribute to schol- Justyna Beinek (Slavic) published arly discourse on Chopin and Polish Padraic Kenney (History) present- an article in The Effect of Palimp- composers through publication and ed a paper entitled “Electromag- sest, Bozena Shallcross and Ryszard conferences, she has also served netic Forces and Radio Waves, or, Nycz, eds., 2011. A collected vol- as consultant and interviewee for Does Transnational History Actu- ume co-edited with Piotr Kosicki, three different documentaries on ally Happen?” at a conference on Re-mapping Polish-German Mem- Chopin. Transnational History and 1989. ory: Geographical, Cultural, and A Polish translation of that paper Intellectual Space since World War Owen Johnson (Journalism & His- was published in the inaugural is- II, is slated for publication in the IU tory) wrote 4 articles for Slovak sue of “Wolność i Solidarność,” the Slavica series this summer. Beinek’s Spectator, the English-language journal of the Europejskie Centrum second monograph proposal on the Bratislava weekly and contributed Solidarności in Gdańsk. In July, he idea of “The West” in Russian and to “The Crisis in American Journal- became Director of the PSC and Polish cultures won her a Senior ism,” lecture at Institute of Poli- concluded his term as President of Fellowship at Harvard University tics, Wrocław University, in January the Polish Studies Association. for the academic year 2011-12. She 2011. In the August 2010 he partici- has given many talks pertaining to pated in the 93rd Annual Conference Hiroaki Kuromiya (History) co- Polish literature and cinema and of the Association for Education in authored an article with Andrzej continues to serve as Director of Journalism & Mass Communications Pepłonski entitled “The Great Ter- Graduate Studies (Literature) in and went on to present a lecture in ror: Polish-Japanese Connections,” the Department of Slavic Languages Los Angeles at the Association for published in Cahiers du monde and Literatures. Slavic, East European & Eurasian russe. He also co-authored a book, Studies convention in November. He Między Warszawa a Tokio: Polsko- Wookjin Cheun (Slavic Librarian) continues to host an occasional edi- Japońska współpraca wywiadowcza was busy this year compiling and tion of Profles, on WFIU. 1904-1944. organizing the exhibit at the Wells Library which featured items from Bill Johnston (Comparative Litera- Maria Mastalerz (Geology) contin- the new History of the Workers’ ture) In April and May, Bill Johnston ued her research on the energy from Movement Collection acquired in helped host author Andrzej Stasiuk fossil fuels by evaluating the Illinois Spring 2010. Cheun also participat- on his debut visit to the United Basin coal bed and CO2 emissions. ed in the Faculty Exchange Program States, giving joint readings with She was a keynote speaker at the with the University of Warsaw (see him in Bloomington and Chicago. North American Coalbed Methane p. 11). In July Johnston stepped down as Forum in Pittsburgh and at the An-

director of the Polish Studies Cen- nual Meeting of the Geological So- Halina Goldberg (Musicology) co- ter and took over as chair of the ciety of America in Denver. In 2010, organized the Chopin Bicentennial Department of Comparative Lit- she published two chapters in books Concerts and Symposium “Chopin erature. In December, Archipelago and twelve research papers in inter- at the Piano: Modern Performance Books published Johnston’s trans- national journals on energy-related Informed by Period Practices” at IU lation of Wiesław Myśliwski’s novel issues. Recently she has been invit- in July 2010 and prganized and lec- Stone upon Stone. Forthcoming ed to be a scientist on the Interna- tured at a concert of Polish music translations include Andrzej Sta- tional Ocean Drilling Project off the celebrating the 200th anniversary siuk’s Dukla and the frst translation coast of Japan to study deep bio- of Fryderyk Chopin’s birth present- directly from the Polish of Stanisław sphere 2500 m below the sea foor. ed by the Jacobs School of Music at Spring 2011 Newsletter 13

Nikodem Poplawski (Physics) re- writing of her dissertation on a flm entitled Chopin Letters, a searches theoretical gravitational Czesław Miłosz as a translator for meditation on exile, nation, and physics and cosmology, in which he the Department of Comparative music. The flm juxtaposes Cho- studies the origin of the Universe, Literature. She has given several pin’s exile from Poland in 1830 the nature of black holes and the ori- talks on Miłosz and translation in with the author’s own departure gin of elementary particles. Summa- both the U.S. and abroad, and from martial law Poland 150 years ries of fndings can be found in The will participate this summer in the later, linked by Siwko-Bajon’s per- Washington Post, Science Now, and seminar, “Miłosz 365,” thanks to a formance of key Chopin works. See on the Discovery Science Channel. fellowship from the Polish Book In- www.chopinletters.com. stitute. Her own poetry collection, Student News The Local World, won the 2010 Alumni News Wick Poetry Prize and will be pub- Jolanta Mickute presented a pa- lished by The Kent State University Phil Goss lives in Warsaw and works per on Zionism and Jewish women Press later this year. as a voice-over artist for television nationalists in interwar Poland at and flm, and has his own radio the AAASS /ASEEES conference in Mary Werden completed a four show. In 2010 he had an acting role LA last year and gave a talk on the week intensive language course at in Skolimoski’s flm entitled Essen- same topic at the National Bodies in The School of Polish Language and tial Killing, for which he also did Eastern Europe conference at Vic- Culture at the Catholic University two voice-only roles. toria University in Wellington, New of Lublin. She also did archival re- Zealand. search in Lublin and Warsaw, inves- Anna Niedźwiedź teaches at the tigating the early post-war years in Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anna Muller successfully defended both cities. Anthropology at Jagiellonian Uni- her Ph.D. dissertation in November versity. She is researching the sym- 2010 titled, “If the Walls Could Talk: Visiting Scholars bolic dimension of urban space in Women Political Prisoners in Stalin- East-Central European cities and ist Poland, 1945-1956” and will par- Łukasz Przybysz is visiting the IU changing notions of heritage and ticipate in the translation seminar, School of Journalism this semester historical memory in post-commu- “Miłosz 365.” Since last summer, from the Institute of Journalism at nist societies. Her new research she has been working at the WWII the University of Warsaw. He stud- examine religious experience in Museum in Gdańsk, where she is in ies methods and techniques of con- popular Catholicism in West African charge of the exhibition devoted to temporary campaign management, societies. Nazi concentration camps. especially the ones performed in the 2008 American presidential Magda Sokolowski has moved to Raina Polivka received a Master’s campaign. He compares strategies Montana where she and her hus- degree in Comparative Literature from the 2008 American campaign band are using innovative designs and will complete a second Master’s to other countries, especially Po- and natural materials to home- in Rare Books and Special Collec- land. Przybysz gave a talk to jour- stead. When she is not writing po- tions this summer from the School nalism students about contempo- etry or building, she is recording of Library Science where she is fo- rary political communication in the her experiences in the Montana cusing on early printed Slavic and United States and Poland as part of wilderness on her blog, which you French texts. the School of Journalism Research can fnd here: squarefootshortage. Colloquium series. blogspot.com. Mira Rosenthal received a 2010 ACLS Fellowship to complete the Paul Siwko-Bajon has released Are you an alumnus? Drop us a line! 14 Polish Studies Center at Indiana University

Photo Review of the Year

Sharing delicious Polish food at the Polish Studies annual picnic. Discovering treasures in the book give-away at the Polish picnic.

Teaching the art of pisanki. Invoking the muse: decorating the pisanki egg.

Iwona Dembowska-Wosik catching up with Polish Studies stu- Students gearing up for the Polish Spelling Bee dents at the holiday party. Spring 2011 Newsletter 15

Photo Review of the Year

Student types on a muffed trypewriter to reenact publishing Łuczywo demonstrates printing techniques to the public. conditions in Poland during the period of Solidarity.

Guests join hands in a traditional Polish dance. Let the judging begin! Guests feasting at the holiday party.

Holiday guests gather around the piano to sing Polish Christmas Breaking Opłatek and sharing holiday cheer. carols. Director Padraic Kenney Phone: 812-855-1507 Administrative Assistant Gosia Swearingen & Kate Whipple Fax: 812-855-0207 Photographer Jakub Wosik Visit our website: Graduate Assistant www.indiana.edu/~polishst

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