Buenos Aires - Gwatemala - Montevideo - Nowy Jork - Paryż. Listy do Jana Nowaka-Jeziorańskiego

Abstract

The purpose of my work is the presentation of archive epistolary materials supplemented with my critical comments, interpretations and explanations. Letters by Straszewicz, Bobkowski, Gombrowicz, Wierzynski and Dejmek related to the period of their cooperation with Radio Free Europe have been published earlier (see the publishing note detailing the texts, places and changes within the publications themselves). The above mentioned body of the texts is complemented by unannounced letters by Józef and Maria Czapscy, Konstanty Jeleński. An extra chapter (a gloss) is dedicated to a few Józef Wittlin’s letters, previously not included in my research on the poet’s relationship with the RFE. The body of the texts analyzed in this book (supplemented with a full set of letters by Nowak-Jeziorański, Gombrowicz, Jeziorański and Bobkowski) is accompanied by a synthesizing and summing-up chapter. Its purpose is to connect the Free Europe phenomenon with the creativity and predispositions of the radio journalists, the phenomenon based on outstanding writers and, at the same time, idealists, people tragically experienced but persistent, crucial for the understanding of the then social and political situation of the emigration. Those people were also vital as a casus, as a point of reference to understanding the Communist Poland and the intentions of the then Polish political emigration to the West, including the last Solidarity wave. The emigrants’ homecomings, publicized by the then propaganda in Poland, were a fact and were spectacular, previously arranged by the media (not to say the propaganda). However, they were usually the results of individual decisions, not really significant (the returns of Choromanski, Cat-Mackiewicz or Melchior Wańkowicz did not cause expected political an ideological changes; nevertheless, their stay in Poland was meaningful in terms of education, propaganda and culture and may have been inspirational for the further democratic changes). The book is the result of my many years’ archive research. I believe that collecting all of the sketches in one volume will contribute to better understanding of their message. It will also draw the reader’s attention to what I have called for for years – the need for publishing the greater part of Jan Nowak-Jeziorański’s letters. (tł. Barnadetta Puchalska-Dąbrowska)