THE SARMATIAN REVIEW Vol. XX, No. 2 April 2000 Mr. Thaddeus Comes to America Nationality and Ethnicity in Poland-Lithuania A panoramic view of the Vilnius Castle in 1997. Photo by John Knasas. 694 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW April 2000 The Sarmatian Review (ISSN 1059- ing theater’s performance of Mr. Thaddeus 5872) is a triannual publication of the Polish In- From the Editor in Polish testifies to the strong sense of eth- stitute of Houston. The journal deals with Polish, The last great pastoral of European litera- nic identity among Americans of Polish Central, and Eastern European affairs, and their ture, Mr. Thaddeus, was written in 1834. implications for the United States. We specialize background. in the translation of documents. The genre of the pastoral implies a perfect Nationhood is a tight weave of mytholo- Subscription price is $15.00 per year for individu- or nearly-perfect world where human ani- gies, ideals, facts, dreams, hopes and grati- als, $21.00 for institutions and libraries ($21.00 mosities, grief and anger are manageable tude, and Mr. Thaddeus is all that. It is sec- for individuals, $27.00 for libraries overseas, air and where “all is right with the world.” As mail). The views expressed by authors of articles ond only to Henryk Sienkiewicz’s Trilogy do not necessarily represent those of the Editors the name suggests, in pastorals the place of (1884-88) in upholding and promoting or of the Polish Institute. Articles are subject to action is the rural world, and the mode of Polish nationhood. But—how many in the editing. Unsolicited manuscripts and other mate- expression is generally poetry. The pastoral audience of several hundred at the Univer- rials are not returned unless accompanied by a self- lyrics resurfaced in the Renaissance, indi- addressed and stamped envelope. Please submit sity of Saint Thomas in Houston on the night your contribution on a Macintosh disk together cating the urbanized man’s longing for ru- of performance actually reached for Mr. with a printout. Letters to the Editor can be e-mailed ral context and simplicity of thought. Thaddeus in print? All too often, lapses into to <[email protected]>, with an accompanying Adam Mickiewicz’s Mr. Thaddeus was sentimentality and megalomania accom- printout sent by snail mail. Articles, letters, and written long after the last wave of pastorals pany encounters with national treasures. As subscription checks should be sent to had swept through European literatures in The Sarmatian Review, P. O. Box 79119, Zbigniew Herbert noted (SR, XV/2, April the seventeenth century. It was written in Houston, Texas 77279-9119. 1995), such lapses are among the national The Sarmatian Review retains the copyright for all special circumstances: the longing of the shortcomings of Poles. materials included in print and online issues. Cop- Paris dweller (Mickiewicz) was augmented It should be mentioned that present-day ies for personal or educational use are permitted by his expatriate status, the rape of Poland- Lithuanians view with certain coldness and by section 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Lithuania in the late-eighteenth-century par- Permission to redistribute, republish, or use SR suspiction the Polish national mythology materials in advertising or promotion must be sub- titions of that country, and memories of a associated with their country. It is not diffi- mitted in writing to the Editor. recent (and failed) rising of 1830. cult to understand why. Demographically Editor: Ewa M. Thompson (Rice University). Mickiewicz conjured up an image of Pol- and territorially, Lithuania is much smaller Editorial Advisory Committee: Janusz A. ish-speaking petty nobility in Lithuania Ihnatowicz (University of Saint Thomas), Marek than Poland, and Lithuanians remain afraid Kimmel (Rice University), Alex Kurczaba (Uni- whose quarrels and family feuds did not pre- of a potential Polish desire to make Vilnius versity of Illinois), Witold J. Lukaszewski (Sam clude a fundamental belief in the necessity their own one more time. It is important for Houston State University), Michael J. Mikos (Uni- of forgiveness and magnanimity toward Poles to work to assuage these fears, rather versity of Wisconsin), James R. Thompson (Rice the defeated. Social conflicts are swept aside: University), Andrzej WaÊko (Jagiellonian Univer- than fanning them as that anonymous col- sity). the Jewish community is presented as liv- league mentioned in Professor John Knasas’ Web Pages: Charles Bearden (Rice University) ing in perfect harmony with the Poles, peas- paper had done (by presenting a Lithuanian- Web Address: <http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sarmatia>. ants are absent, and any trace of a distinc- American with a map showing Lithuania Sarmatian Review Council: Marla K. Burns (Burns tion between Lithuanian and Polish & Associates), Boguslaw Godlewski (Diagnostic as part of Poland). While it would be a mis- Clinic of Houston), Iga J. Henderson, Danuta Z. ethnicities is wiped out. All this is framed take for Lithuania to try to associate itself Hutchins (Buena Vista University), Joseph A. by Mickiewicz’s profound devotion to Our with Russia (as some Lithuanian politicians Jachimczyk (J .A. Jachimczyk Forensic Center of Har- Lady of Vilnius whose image in the famous have advocated), or to dream the pipe ris County, Texas), Leonard M. Krazynski (Krazynski Gate remains dear to Catholics in present- & Associates), Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm. dreams about Lithuania becoming a part of In this issue: day Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. Scandinavia, it would be a grave mistake SR INDEX.........................................695 This issue of SR contains a new transla- indeed for Poles not to keep reassuring Adam Mickiewicz, Mr. Thaddeus, Book tion of Book Four of Mr Thaddeus. The Lithuanians that Poles harbor no irredentist Four (tr. by Christopher A. Zakrzewski) .697 translation captures the stylized tone of desires toward Vilnius or toward Lithuania Chester Natulewicz, Classical Studies in Mickiewicz’s masterpiece; it flows in general. In return, Poles expect Central and Eastern Europe..............707 smoothly and rhythmically, and its judi- Lithuanians to ease up on the Polish minor- John Knasas, On Being Lithuanian..710 ciously archaized language renders well the ity in Lithuania.. BOOKS and Periodicals Received...712 un-modern language of the original. Chris- Finally, we print in this issue the first part Angela Brintlinger, Gombrowicz’s Gri- topher Adam Zakrzewski is a great transla- of Walenty Tyszkiewicz’s narrative about maces: Modernism, Gender, Nationality tor, and he is at work on the entire poem. Poles in Turkmenistan. The Polish diaspora (review)..............................................715 This issue also contains two reviews in that remote Central Asian country needs Aleksandra Ziólkowska-Boehm, Andrzej of adaptations of Mr. Thaddeus for stage financial help, to the tune of $5,000 per year. Wajda’s Pan Tadeusz (review)..........716 and screen. The film by Andrzej Wajda In the American diaspora, the expenses for Chicago’s Polish Theater’s Pan Tadeusz has received much acclaim, and our re- just one dancing party of which so many (review)...............................................717 viewer rightly points out the melancholy take place each year in various cities would LETTERS...........................................717 and picturesque quality of Wajda’s ren- more than cover this community’s ex- About the Authors..............................719 dition of quintessentially Polish mythol- penses. Mr. Tyszkiewicz’s email is Walenty Tyszkiewicz, Polish Diaspora in ogy which Mickiewicz’s pastoral has im- <[email protected]>. ∆ Turkmenistan: A Colonial Narrative..720 mortalized. On the other hand, a travel- April 2000 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW 695 The Sarmatian Review Index Demographic prospects for Europe Estimated number of foreign workers Germany and Italy will have to import yearly (starting in 2025) owing to labor shortages at home: Germany, 500,000; Italy, 300,000. Source: A UN Report, as reported by Ronald Eggleston, “Germany: Foreigners Benefit From New Citizenship Laws,” RFE/RL, 10 January 2000. Russian demography Population decrease in the Russian Federation in 1999: 784,000, or 0.5 percent (down to 145.5 million). Number of deaths in Russia in 1998 and 1999, respectively: 1,988,700 and 1,140,300, Number of births in Russia in 1998 and 1999, respectively: 1,283,300 and 1,215,800. Source: State Statistics Committee, as reported by Agence France-Presse, 21 February 2000. Texas demography Estimated percentage of Hispanic population in Texas in 2030: 46 percent. Percentage of Texas population in 2000 that belongs to the baby boomer generation: 33 percent. Source: Editorial, Houston Chronicle, 15 December 1999. U.S. prison demography Number of adults behind bars in 1970: 200,000. Number of adults behind bars in 2000: 1,983,084. Source: William Raspberry, “Also a Downside to Prison Population Jump,” Houston Chronicle, 15 December 1999. Postcommunist economies on the eve of the new millenium Percentage decrease in Czech GDP in 1999: 0.5 percent. Unemployment in the Czech Republic in December 1999: 9.4 percent. Source: AFP (Prague), 10 January 2000. Percentage decrease in Croatian GDP in 1999: two percent. Unemployment in Croatia in 1999: 20 percent. Source: Economist, 8–14 January 2000. Growth of Polish GDP in 1999: four percent. Inflation in Poland in 1999: 7.3 percent. Source: Deputy Finance Minister Leszek Balcerowicz on 12 January 2000, as reported by AFP(Warsaw) on the same day. Percentage fall in foreign investment (both direct investment in factories and enterprises, and portfolio invest- ment in stocks) in Russia during the first nine months of 1999: 30 percent (from $9.29 billion in 1998 to $6.47 in September 1999). Source: State Statistics Agency, as reported by the Associated Press, 30 November 1999. Inflation in Russia in 1999: 36.5 percent. Source: AFP, 11 January 2000. Size of the Russian Federation’s budget for 2000 (as approved by the Duma after its fourth reading on 3 Decem- ber 1999, and by the Federation Council on 22 December 1999): $32 billion, or 855.07 billion rubles.