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THE SARMATIAN REVIEW Vol. XXII, No. 2 April 2002 Which Way to the Słowacki Fan Club? Ways of Remembering the Polish Romantics The medallion of Juliusz Słowacki (age 32) by Władysław Oleszczyƒski. 862 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW April 2002 recognized for what they are: a vital part of The Sarmatian Review (ISSN 1059-5872) is From the Editor literature and of social and cultural life. a triannual publication of the Polish Institute of Houston. The dearth of translations of Juliusz Polish and other Central and Eastern The journal deals with Polish, Central, and Eastern Euro- Słowacki’s works was only slightly pean affairs, and their implications for the United States. European literatures have been male- We specialize in the translation of documents. alleviated by Michael MikoÊ oriented, and women’s concerns have all too Subscription price is $15.00 per year for individuals, $21.00 bilingual selection of Słowacki’s often been relegated to issues of secondary for institutions and libraries ($21.00 for individuals, $27.00 poems This Fateful Power/Ta siła importance. Fox’s poem forcefully reminds for libraries overseas, air mail). The views expressed by fatalna (Lublin: Norbertinum, 1999). authors of articles do not necessarily represent those of the us that there is a world out there that needs Editors or of the Polish Institute. Articles are subject to edit- MikoÊ’s volume contains parts of to be recognized. And not only her poem: ing. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials are not Canto Five of Beniowski (1841) of Manuela Gretkowska’s novel Polka returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed and which we present a longer excerpt reviewed in BOOKS carries an even stamped envelope. Please submit your contribution on a in Christopher Zakrzewski’s Macintosh disk or electronically, together with a print- weightier message. Gretkowska is a world out. Letters to the Editor can be e-mailed to translation. We are pleased that at pioneer in giving voice to pregnancy and <[email protected]>, with an accompanying printout least a tiny bit of Słowacki’s poem childbearing, and in exploring the feelings (including return address) sent by snail mail. Articles, now exists in two translations, for the of women who have become incubators of letters, and subscription checks should be sent to reader to compare and savor. The another life. The Sarmatian Review, P. O. Box 79119, Houston, bulk of Słowacki’s poems, plays, and Texas 77279-9119. Bogdan Czaykowski’s review of Piotr The Sarmatian Review retains the copyright for all materi- prose works remains untranslated Wilczek’s habilitation treatise, Dyskurs, als included in print and online issues. Copies for personal Ditto Cyprian Norwid. Oh, the przekład, interpretacja, is in many ways or educational use are permitted by section 107 and 108 of riches of which the American exemplary of how good reviews should be the U.S. Copyright Law. Permission to redistribute, repub- Slavists remain unaware, and not just lish, or use SR materials in advertising or promotion must written. A fair summary of the book’s be submitted in writing to the Editor. in Polish literature (see the review content is essential in a good review. Editor: Ewa M. Thompson (Rice University). of Myroslaw Shkandrij’s book in Czaykowski does this, and more: he Editorial Advisory Committee: Janusz A. Ihnatowicz (Uni- BOOKS). The text was translated rephrases a number of subtle points in versity of Saint Thomas), Marek Kimmel (Rice Univer- from Słowacki’s Dzieła wszystkie sity), Alex Kurczaba (University of Illinois), Marcus D. Wilczek’s book that a casual reviewer would Leuchter (Holocaust Museum Houston),Witold J. [Complete Works] edited by Juliusz have sacrificed to the speed with which Lukaszewski (Sam Houston State University), Michael J. Kleiner (Wrocław: Ossolineum, books are read nowadays. Mikos (University of Wisconsin), Jan Rybicki (Kraków 1952–4). Oleszczyƒski’s medallion In his review of a German-language Pedagogical University), James R. Thompson (Rice Uni- on the title page was reproduced from versity), Piotr Wilczek (University of Silesia-Katowice). account of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, Web Pages: Lisa Spiro (Rice University). the same edition. Marek Chodakiewicz reminds us of the Web Address: <http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sarmatia>. This issue also contains the power of ‘elbowing out:’ cultural politics Sarmatian Council: Boguslaw Godlewski (Diag- translations of two Sonnets by Polish in Soviet-occupied Poland privileged nostic Clinic of Houston), Iga J. Henderson, Renaissance poet Mikołaj S∏p- Danuta Z. Hutchins (Buena Vista University), Jo- works of left-wing resistance over centrist seph A. Jachimczyk (J .A. Jachimczyk Forensic Szarzyƒski. The translator, Steven and right-wing resistance, and thus an Center of Harris County, Texas), Leonard M. Clancy, has already translated for SR opinion was formed (even among Krazynski (Honorary Polish Consul in Houston), Valeriia Novodvorskaia’s essay in historians) that the first played a Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm. 12345678901234567 1997. We are pleased to publish a substantial role whereas the second was 12345678901234567 Herbert-inspired poem by a poet from In this issue: mostly concerned with opposing progress Oregon, Robert Davies, whose ‘Mr. and the Soviets. The figures which THE SARMATIAN REVIEW INDEX......863 Cogito Press’ has published many poets Chodakiewicz quotes: 6,000 for left-wing Juliusz Słowacki, Pan Beniowski (final stan- from the American heartland and from PPR/AL and 70,000–90,000 for right- zas of Canto Five, translated by Christopher Eastern and Central Europe. Lastly, we wing NSZ, indicate that publishing policy Adam Zakrzewski....................................865 publish a poem by a Polish woman can distort history and leave a lopsided BOOKS....................................................870 poet, Marta Fox, translated by a young image of what actually happened Bogdan Czaykowski, Dyskurs—Przekład— Slavicist Anna Gàsienica-Byrcyn. This Our Take takes on the issues of Interpretacja: Literatura staropolska i jej trwanie is our way of foregrounding the fact we współczesnej kulturze (review)................873 Orientalism and Occidentalism as they that women’s concerns must be Marek Chodakiewicz, Warschauer Aufstand are being debated in literary periodicals 1944 (review)............................................875 including NYRB. Central and Eastern lated by Anna Gàsienica-Byrcyn (poem)...884 Jolanta Wróbel-Best, Teatr i sacrum w Europeans need to generate a discourse Zofia PtaÊnik, Death by a Thousand Cuts: A Êredniowieczu (review).............................880 Polish Woman’s Diary of Deportation, Forced on these and related issues, lest they be Mikołaj S∏p-Szarzyƒski, Sonnets II and IV, Labor and Death in Kazakhstan, April 13, subsumed by the dichotomy of which translated by Steven Clancy....................882 1940–May 26, 1941, translated and edited by they do not partake. OUR TAKE: Orientalism and Occidentalism— Leszek Karpiƒski et al. (second install- Finally, we include in this issue the where do the Central Europeans stand?.......882 ment).......... ...................................................885 Robert A. Davies, Mr. Cogito in East Central second installment of Zofia PtaÊnik’s LETTERS................................................884 Europe (poem)..........................................883 dramatic Diary. This source material ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NOTES....884 Marta Fox, All the Mornings of the World, trans- on World War II history will continue to ABOUT THE AUTHORS......................887 appear in subsequent issues. ∆ April 2002 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW 863 The Sarmatian Review Index War and peace Amount of the world's produced oil consumed by Americans: 25 percent. Amount of the world's proven oil reserves in the United States: 3 percent. Source: Elliot Negin in Washington Times, 1 November 2001. Misery Percentage of working Poles who make between $125–$250 (Zł 500–Zł 1,000) per month: 78.7 percent. Percentage of working Poles who make less than $125 per month: 13.4 percent. Source: Edmund Szot, “Zwyczajna polska bieda,” Rzeczpospolita, 24 January 2002. Average salary of a medical doctor in Poland: $275 (Zł 1,100) per month. Average nurse’s salary in Poland: $210 per month. Source: AFP, 24 January 2002. Salaries and taxes Monthly salary of deputy heads of the Polish National Bank: $8,250–$9,000 (Zł 33,000 to 36,000). Monthly salary of members of the Currency Board in Poland: $6,250 (Zł 25,000). Monthly salary of deputy head of a large Polish bank: $42,500 (Zł 170,000). Approximate rate of exchange in Fall 2001: $1=4.1 Zl. Source: Michał Pawlak. Donosy, 2 November 2001. Monthly income of members of Parliament in Poland: salary $2,240 (Zł 8,980), reimbursement for office expenses $2,350 (Zł 9,320). Additionally, the MPs receive $1,900 (Zł 7,600) per year for hotel expenses outside Warsaw and free travel on Polish railways, bus lines and airlines. Source: Michał Jankowski in Donosy, 25 January 2002. Percentage of Poles who pay the lowest rate of income tax due to smallness of their income (under $8,150 (Zł 32,736) per year: 94.6 percent. Percentage of taxes paid by this group: 52.3 percent. The remaining taxpayers (5.4 percent) pay 47.7 percent of all taxes. Source: Polish Finance Ministry, as reported in Donosy, October 2001. Life under Soviet-imposed socialism Number of pairs of shoes per inhabitant (Poland’s population in 1980 was 36 million) in 1981: 1.6 pairs. Source: Michał Radgowski, Rzeczpospolita, 17 November 2001. Church finances in Poland Average monthly salary of employees of the Lublin Diocese in 2001: $240 (Zł 957). Total budget of the Diocese (consisting of the Curia expenses, diocesan seminary and charitable work) in 2001: $2.2 million (Zł 8.7 million). Budget deficit for 2001: $5,450. Source of income for the Diocese: per-person tax assessed by the bishop from the larger and richer parishes. Size of tax: one to one-and-a-half US cents per person per week Source: Archbishop Józef Îyciƒski, as reported by Lena Białkowska in Donosy, 7 January 2002. Migration Number of immigrants in Russia (pop. 144 million) in 2001: 8 million.