Featured Posts

Wanda Dynowska / Umadevi: A Polish Guide to Indian Culture
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Features

Wanda Dynowska / Umadevi: A Polish Guide to Indian Culture

Already surprised by a land of unimagined wonders, they now beheld a serene, sari-clad woman who spoke Polish and cared deeply about both her countries.

The Cabaret Star and the Orphans: From Warsaw to India
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Features / Music

The Cabaret Star and the Orphans: From Warsaw to India

Lithe, blonde, willowy and a free spirit, prewar cabaret star Hanka Ordonowna was to become a wartime rescuer of children and a sensitive chronicler of their harrowing story.

Zamość, Citta Ideale
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Travel

Zamość, Citta Ideale

When was the last time you visited a citta ideale? No, not in Italy. Zamość, in Poland. Designed by Bernardo Morando, according to the vision of Jan Zamoyski, Chancellor of Poland, a nobleman and a magnate of great wealth.

A Farewell to Poland in the Rockies
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Commentary

A Farewell to Poland in the Rockies

PitR, as it is affectionately called, leaves many great memories and a far flung network. A toast to Tony Muszynski, who created it: Sto lat!

The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Books

The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe

“Can we make the past okay?” Michal Kasprzak weighs in on Marci Shore’s journey into the world of no innocent choices.

Bogusław Schaeffer: An Anthology
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Books

Bogusław Schaeffer: An Anthology

A great artist in the tradition of Schulz, Wyspiański and Witkiewicz, Bogusław Schaeffer and his work are ubiquitous in Poland. And should be better known beyond. Magda Romanska is helping do that with her translation of three of his works, reviewed here by Alena Aniskiewicz.

Polska Dotty
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Books

Polska Dotty

Here’s a writer you’ll immediately want to invite for dinner. Along with his charming father. And there, over great Polish food, you can tell him what you like, and don’t like, about his book.

Vera Gran: The Accused
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Books

Vera Gran: The Accused

When Isaac Bashevis Singer said fate “is a trap we set for ourselves,” surely he wasn’t thinking of the Warsaw Ghetto. Two reviewers take issue with Agata Tuszynska’s biography of Vera Gran.

From a Polish Country House Kitchen
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Books

From a Polish Country House Kitchen

Attention all foodies: Polish food is fresh, lively and delicious. Reviewer Pierre Gratton dismisses stale opinions. A French conspiracy, he suspects, ably put down by Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden.

Polish Classic Desserts
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Books

Polish Classic Desserts

Justine Jablonska tests and tastes the rich dessert fare of Poland presented in Polish Classic Desserts and declares them: Heaven! She has a few quibbles, though, with some editorial content.

Summer 2013 Bulletin Board
2013 Vol. 5 No. 2 — Summer / Bulletin Board

Summer 2013 Bulletin Board

Magda Romanska’s new play, Opheliamachine, in LA; Piotr Piwowarczyk’s film, Santa Rosa, in Chicago; Basia and Leonard Myszynski’s Modjeski film in the works; and historian Timothy Snyder everywhere.

Cosmopolitan Review is Back!
Commentary

Cosmopolitan Review is Back!

With a fresh and lively look, new writers, lots of reviews and book news, plus great features, CR blends topics light and serious, old and new, all of them focusing – or merely touching upon – something Polish, but not necessarily from a Polish perspective.

Bill Johnston: Educator Extraordinaire
2013 Vol. 5 No. 1 — Spring / Commentary

Bill Johnston: Educator Extraordinaire

A tsunami of honours fell upon Bill Johnston in 2012. CR surfs on that giant wave with a few observations of its own, along with some from Tamara Trojanowska and from students who will never forget him.