From the Snows of Siberia to the Snows of Kilimanjaro

…The distinguished Canadian guest met the children, smartly outfitted boys in crisp white cotton shirts and khaki shorts, and girls in perfectly pressed white dresses with navy sailor collars. The children treated him to a concert, the settlement’s leaders to a banquet. Some of them, according to a horrified Mr. Sharrar, actually wore evening dress. What was he to make of this strange European matriarchy living in mud huts set in European gardens with trimmed hedges – in equatorial Africa? Irene Tomaszewski, who grew up with her eyes on Mount Kilimanjaro, relates this untold story.

My Two Polish Grandfathers

“I should have been a true Pole rather than a make-believe Scot” writes Witold Rybczynski in his latest book, the beautifully written My Two Polish Grandfathers… Anna Kisielewska reviews Rybczynski’s latest chef d’oeuvre.

A History of Polish Americans … Revisited

Those of us who read John Bukowczyk’s And My Children Did Not Know Me are delighted to see the 2008 edition by Transaction Press, A History of the Polish Americans.

Tricky Polish Love: Sztuczki, a review

I was charmed by it, and wiped away more than one tear. I want to describe the film and what I liked about it, but also to place it in its Polish context.

Remembering Bronisław Geremek

“We created Europe, now we have to create Europeans.” “Poland, today free, and Europe, united […] owe you a great deal. Your contribution to the victory of truth, liberty, humanism and the understanding of European identity is tremendous.” These words were used by Archbishop Tadeusz Gocłowski speaking about the person [...]

On Coal and Kinship

CR once again welcomes an article by Vince Chesney in which he writes about a new book and about Slavic hospitality. Pennsylvania coal country, a rural enclave dotted by small towns is distant enough from major centres — two hours from Philadelpia and Baltimore, three hours from DC, and four hours from Pittsburgh – to have retained its own identity. Says the author: “I am pleased to share this area’s heritage with you…”

From 1683 to 2009: the [Secret] Link Between the Battle of Vienna & Poland’s “Lack of Positive Spirit”

Poles have been accused of “selling their soul to the devil” to join the EU and then of making no efforts while finally in. Is this accurate? The author probes Marc Maresceau, a lawyer and Gorbachev-era specialist.

Rome by Self

When in Rome, drink like a Roman. Eat and visit like one too, with Justine Jablonska’s trips for solo travel in Italy’s vibrant capital.

Baku Is … Just Plain Rich

Baku, if one believes the locals and the foreign oil investors, has seen an unprecedented economic boom in the last four years transforming Azerbaijan’s capital into a construction field, with apartment building skeletons waiting to be dressed and filled with life lining up on every piece of free land.

Poems in Transit

Poezja Naszego Wieku

Sensing My Childhood – Crossing the Oder River

The smell of the wet football pitch and the taste of homemade zurek take Krzysztof Rutkowski back to his Polish childhood in Germany.