“Bill Johnston… was from another world. When many of us were dreaming about leaving Poland, here he was, settling right in!” – So recalls Tamara Trojanowska of her early encounter with an English teacher who mastered the Polish language.
The singer/songwriter of Kommander’s Car – Katy Carr – had not met the “Kommander” until after her song about him became a hit. It was a thrill when she finally did. That said, her spiritus movens was always her Polish/British identity, and the history behind that. Justine Jablonska talks to Katy Carr.
Designer Oleńka Lisiecka blends old time folk and city chic to great effect. Original and fun. Justine Jablonska casts a fashion eye on Lisiecka’s enterprise.
Getting the vote is all well and good. But what if women want more than that? Beth Holmgren looks at Poland’s interwar cabaret culture.
Lots of honors and awards for books – all reviewed in CR. Plus: An artist comes home; Elgar for the musically inclined; Manya, the Living History of Maria Skłodowska-Curie; and a beer named for Wojtek the Soldier Bear.
Mazowsze is arguably the most beautiful folk dance troupe in the world. Maja Trochimczyk poses the question: Does authenticity matter?
Peter Hetheringon’s mammoth biography brings Piłsudski to life on its pages, says reviewer Patrice Dabrowski. And while he’s at it, he provides the reader with a brief but thorough and lively history of Poland, as only a non-Pole can.
Jan Karski is a hero not just for our times but for all times, says Irene Tomaszewski as she recalls her first meeting with the modest hero. He represents the best in humanity and the collective will of a nation that would not submit.
Michał Kasprzak’s brilliant review cuts to the essence of The Auschwitz Volunteer.
Meeting a heroine from the “generation of ‘44” is a privilege. Fortunately, Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm kept a record of her friendship with one of the Warsaw Uprising’s great women.
When the ideology is stripped away, say reviewer Joanna Szupinska about Wiesław Myśliwski’s Stone Upon Stone, all that is left is love for life and respect for the earth. Could one ask for anything more?
The fickle affections of the Great Powers are well known in history. Thomas McLean’s The Other East looks at this unreliable relationship from a literary perspective. Reviewed by Lukasz Wodzynski.
Rome’s Most Faithful Daughter led astray? Neal Pease reviews Mikołaj Kunicki’s book about the politics of Bolesław Piasecki.
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