580 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW September 1998 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW Vol. XVIII, No. 3 September 1998 Post-colonialism in Central Europe A symbol of Soviet Russia’s colonial domination of Poland: the ‘Palace of culture’ erected on Stalin’s orders in 1952-55. July 1998 photo by James Thompson. 554 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW September 1998 The Sarmatian Review (ISSN 1059- From the Editor literature is well worth perusing. 5872) is a triannual publication of the Polish In- This issue attempts to In a very different way and using stitute of Houston. The journal deals with Polish, adumbrate the problems of post- a very different methodology, Professor Central, and Eastern European affairs, and their Alex Kurczaba makes a case for a continu- implications for the United States. We specialize colonialism in Central and Eastern in the translation of documents. Europe. Post-colonial studies have fared ing pattern of marginalization of East Cen- Subscription price is $15.00 per year for individu- well in the American academy, but tral European studies in the American acad- als, $21.00 for institutions and libraries ($21.00 Central Europe has been pointedly emy. He demonstrates that high Polish en- for individuals, $27.00 for libraries overseas, air rollments and location of a university in an mail). The views expressed by authors of articles excluded from consideration. Yet the do not necessarily represent those of the Editors methodology of post-coloniality has to area with a large Polish American popula- or of the Polish Institute. Articles are subject to be applied to the region, for without this tion have little to do with the vigor of Polish editing. Unsolicited manuscripts are not returned perspective its history will continue to be Studies at a given location. He points out unless accompanied by a self-addressed and however that the blame does not entirely stamped envelope. Please submit your contribu- subjected to prejudice and received ideas. tion on a Macintosh disk together with a printout. A reconceptualization of the problems rest with university administrators. The Letters to the Editor can be e-mailed to plaguing these newly-liberated countries graduates of America’s colleges, among <[email protected]>, with an accompanying can help in weakening the stereotypes whom there is a fair number of persons printout sent by snail mail. Articles, letters, and of Central European background, have subscription checks should be sent to (generated by colonial authority over the failed to initiate actions conducive to The Sarmatian Review, P.O. Box 79119, centuries) that prevent these nations from Houston, Texas 77279-9119. assuming their rightful place in American change in the status quo. While The Sarmatian Review retains the copyright for all intellectual discourse. multiculturalism looms large among slo- materials included in print and online issues. Cop- gans promoted in the academy, it does ies for personal or educational use are permitted Among others, the minority-ma- jority conflicts in countries which have not include Central and East European by section 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. cultures. Kurczaba bolsters his theses Permission to redistribute, republish, or use SR themselves been victims of colonialism have materials in advertising or promotion must be sub- to be seen in the broader context of the cen- with startling statistics. He concludes mitted in writing to the Editor. ter-periphery relationship or, as the tradi- that for pragmatic and ideological rea- Editor: Ewa M.Thompson (Rice University). sons, in America’s Slavic Departments Editorial Advisory Committee: Janusz A. tional Polish scholarship has it, of the occu- Russian culture has been privileged for Ihnatowicz (University of Saint Thomas), Marek pier-occupied relationship. The issue of the Kimmel (Rice University), Alex Kurczaba (Uni- colonial center consciously manipulating the several generations now, while the non- versity of Illinois), Witold J. Lukaszewski (Sam occupied nation’s minorities calls for a Russian Slavic cultures have been as- Houston State University), Michael J. Mikos (Uni- signed a permanent status of marginal- versity of Wisconsin), Waclaw Mucha (Rice Uni- methodology that would detach these mat- ity. versity), James R. Thompson (Rice University), ters from their customary place within the We are pleased to publish in Andrzej WaÊko (Jagiellonian University). minority rights/discrimination axis. Web Pages: Pamela Ellis (New York Public Library). this issue quite a few very fine poems. As Roumiana Deltcheva points Web Address: <http://www.ruf.rice.edu/ Colin Cleary’s poems display an amaz- ~sarmatia>. out in her article, there is much resistance Sarmatian Review Council: Marla K. Burns (Burns to the application of post-colonial ing ability to look at issues through the & Associates), Boguslaw Godlewski (Diagnostic terminology to Central and Eastern Europe. eyes of the Central Europeans. We con- Clinic of Houston), Iga J. Henderson, Danuta Z. Nevertheless, the similarities between the sider these poems to be among the best Hutchins (Buena Vista University), Joseph A. poetic expressions in the English lan- Jachimczyk (J.A. Jachimczyk Forensic Center of colonial empires overseas and similar Harris County, Texas), Leonard M. Krazynski empires in Europe cannot forever be guage of what thousands and perhaps (Krazynski & Associates), Martin Lawera (Rice disregarded. Deltcheva’s article argues for millions of Poles felt but failed to bring University), Witold P. Skrypczak, Aleksandra to the world’s attention. Krzysztof Ziółkowska-Boehm. a double dependency, on the East and on the West, and the ensuing situation of Koehler’s poems are translations from the Polish original, and they persua- In this issue: marginality which many East Central sively explain why Koehler belongs ‘to SR INDEX.........................................555 European writers have felt without admitting the race of poets.’ One of our favorite Roumiana Deltcheva, The Difficult Topos it publicly (Witold Gombrowicz being a Polish poets, Jan Twardowski, praises In-Between: the East Central European Cul- notable exception). Deltcheva’s the humble and non-elitist manifesta- tural Context as a Post-Coloniality........557 sophisticated discussion of how these tion of poetic activity in a way that is Alex Kurczaba, East Central Europe and multiple dependencies and marginalities worth remembering. Multiculturalism in the American Acad- manifested themselves in Bulgarian Among the BOOKS reviewed, emy............................................................562 we would like to emphasize the biblio- Colin Cleary, Poems..............................568 K.K.Baczyƒski, Where to? (a poem) Tr. by graphical series of documents from the Krzysztof Koehler, Poems, tr. by W. Mar- Alex Kurczaba.........................................574 archives of various Central and East tin..............................................................569 SR Translation of Documents Series....575 European cities. These volumes have BOOKS....................................................571 Angela Brintlinger and Krzysztof Koehler, to do with the treatment of Roman and John Radzilowski, General Anders and the Syllabi of Central and Eastern European Uniate Catholicism in the western parts Soldiers of the Second Polish Corps (re- courses............................................... 576 of the Russian empire before the Octo- view).........................................................573 ANNOUNCEMENTS and NOTES..579 ber Revolution. Δ Jan Twardowski, Princess (a poem)......574 About the Authors..................................579 Untitled1 file:///Users/ethomp/Desktop/Zakopane2/SARM REV MASTERP... September 1998 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW 555 Sarmatian Review Index Health Estimated number of people in post-communist countries who died from smoking-related illnesses in 1995: 700,000. Estimated number of people in Russia who die annually from smoking- related illnesses: 280,000. Estimated number of children in post-communist countries who start smoking every day: 10,000. Source: World Health Organization and Witold Zatoski, director of Warsaw's Skodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center, as reported by K.P. Foley and Julie Moffett in " East: Polish Physician Says Eastern Europe Smoking Itself To Death," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 7 April 1998. Number of people infected with syphilis in the Russian Federation: one in 400. Frequency of syphilis in Russia by comparison to western Europe: 200:1. Rate of increase over the last seven years: 50 times higher than in 1991. Source: Stuart Parrott, "The East: Rise In Syphilis May Worsen AIDS Epidemic," RFE/RL, 3 April 1998. Number of drug addicts in the Russian Federation in 1998: 12 million. Source: Editorial in Izvestiya, 24 July 1998 (as reported by Russia Today, 24 July 1998). Confirmed number of HIV carriers in Russia and Ukraine in 1997: 4,400 and 15,000, respectively. Estimated number of HIV carriers in Russia and Ukraine in 1997: 40,000 and 110,000. Word used in describing the rise of HIV-positive persons in CIS countries over the last four years: 'astronomical.' Source: Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), as reported by Agence France-Presse, 21 April 1998. 1 of 5 12/16/10 6:46 PM Untitled1 file:///Users/ethomp/Desktop/Zakopane2/SARM REV MASTERP... Confirmed number of HIV carriers in Poland in 1997: 4,215, of whom 263 have already died. Estimated number of HIV carriers in Poland in 1997: 20,000. Source: AFP, 28 April 1998. Percentage of the national budget which the