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FORUM
CZESLAW MILOSZ: A few words about Irish (and our) suffering
Essay on special situation of a writer creating in a language
different than his native tongue. The author draws analogy between the situation
of an Irish poet, 1995 Nobel prize winner, Seamus Heaney and the situation of a
writer belonging to the cultural tradition of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
JOANNA TOKARSKA-BAKIR: "Ogonki"
A renown Polish anthropologist of culture writes on personal
perception of the works of Czeslaw Milosz:
"Never in my life have I read so intensely, as in the past
several months. Political plots, subjugated mind and the rest were supplemented,
like an organism is supplemented with minerals. But something else was
interesting: I didn't know that it was possible to write about religion in
this manner. I just finished the stage of "slovenly" literary and
ethnographical interests, but none I read so far wrote about religion in such a
personal manner, as Milosz did, so ostentatiously refusing professor's desk and
education."
PATRICIA HAMPL: Czeslaw Milosz and Memory
Analysis of "Rodzinna Europa" ("Native Realm")
by Czeslaw Milosz on the background of American memoir.
"Remembrance in these [Central European] writers is less
strictly personal than it is in most American autobiography, though the uncanny
and formative moments of a life remain, as in any memoir, the basis of the work.
But for these writers the past is the nation's finally, not the family's, as
it so typically is in American memoir. The brush strokes are those of history,
rather than autobiography. Seen in this light, the work of memory becomes
politically dynamic, and personal testimony approaches danger, for its purpose
becomes not only elegy but survival. It is the survival of something larger than
the author's self or even of a beloved, departed past. At stake is the
survival of memory itself. In such works, memory lives to serve history."
LESZEK SZARUGA: Opening doors (notes on the verse of Milosz)
"New poetry will probably choose the form of Bible: freely
flowing prose engraved in verses."
The title verse comes from the letters of Oskar Milosz, cited by
Czeslaw Milosz in his book "Swiadectwa poezji". It is the starting
point for considering the nature of written word, e.g. the Bible and haiku
poetry.
KRZYSZTOF RUTKOWSKI: What?
Critical-literary essay pertaining to the new volume of Czeslaw
Milosz poetry "To" ("Thing"). The author is looking for the
mysterious "thing" in the nature of the language, in creation and in
the theatre of life.
ALICJA RYBALKO: On Lithuania, Poland and something else
A commentary to the text by Czeslaw Milosz opening this chapter.
The author - Pole living in Vilnius is a poet, translator of Lithuanian
literature.
"A creator is always lonely, a poet is always an emigrant.
Creation beyond one's own native language is connected with a difficult problem:
the influence of dominating language on the purity of mother tongue. At the same
time the creator can hear his own tongue on the background of other phonetics,
syntax, accent. I dare say the relation to native language becomes more intimate,
warm, even amorous. This is when language is the real motherland that you can
only reject yourself."
VILNIUS
GINTARAS BERESNEVICIUS: On prince Gedymin and high-priest
Lizdejko
Multi-layered analysis of the legend concerning the origin of
Vilnius.
ENDRE BOJTAR: The Sanctuary of Vilnius
The existence of a pagan temple in Vilnius is mentioned in
legends and historical documents, and proven by archaeological excavations. The
most interesting however is the fact, how pagan worship places turned into
Christian temples. It looks like there are still more hypotheses than evidence
in this matter.
RABBI SHIMON FINKELMAN: Vilna
Vilnius seen by a Jewish rabbi. The article makes it clear why
the capital of Lithuania used to be called "Jerusalem of North".
CHAIM GRADE: Short stories: Day of beggars; It's begun.
Two novels from the volume called "My Mother's Sabbath
Days". Grade, even after emigrating to the USA, created in Yiddish. The
novels recall the colourful world of pre-war Jews living In Vilnius.
INNA HECKER GRADE: Chaim Grade - "the son of Vilnius
prophets"
Introduction to the American edition of the volume "My
Mother's Sabbath Days" by Chaim Grade, explaining the historical context
of his works.
VYTAUTAS TOLEIKIS: Vilnius from near and afar
Looking for "genius loci", the author compares
historical images of Vilnius and his own memories with the contemporary city,
especially seen by the young generation.
THE LITERARY CORNER
Poems by
TOMAS VENCLOVA, a great Lithuanian poet, awarded in 2001
Boderlander Award by Borderland Foundation; KAZYS BORUTA (1905-1965),
Lithuanian poet; MONIKA PLES, 18 years old Polish poet.
Prose
JURGIS KUNCINAS: Tula
Fragment of a novel of a great Lithuanian writer, about an
artistic, the oldest district of Vilnius - Uzupio, where he lives.
OUT OF PRINT
JOZEF JUNDZILL: Description of plants from Lithuania, Wolyn,
Podole and Ukraine, those wild and domesticated
Who could suspect that a careful, scientific description of
plants may resemble poetry? New reading of the botanical descriptions from the
volume prepared in Vilnius and printed in 1830.
TEODOR TRIPPLIN: Diary from a trip to Lithuania and Zemajtija,
taken in 1856
Description of a trip taken in the middle of the 19th century by
a medical doctor.
RIMANTAS MIKNYS: Vilnius and nationalistic problems in
"Dziennik" ("Diary") by Michal Romer
Introduction to "Diary" by Michal Romer. The author is
a historian working in Lithuanian History Institute in Vilnius.
MICHAL ROMER: Diary (fragments)
Michal Romer (1880-1945) was a lawyer, publicist, one of the
greatest social and political activists working in the field of
Polish-Lithuanian relations in the first half of the 20th century. The diary,
except personal details, contains important information concerning social and
political situation of Poland and Lithuania in the first half of the 20th
century. Historical reflection is accompanied by psychological analysis.
MACIEJ RYCHLY'S MUSIC STUDIO
This time the author - musician, expert in traditional music,
takes us for a trip after hornpipes: to old musicians in Pieniny mountains, to
Great Poland, where once lived numerous pipers, and where today - continuing
the tradition - the "region of goat" is created, as well as to
people who build hornpipes. The most important issue of the article is its
intergenerational message:
"To me, a little boy, it seemed that this world saturated
with music was like fields and meadows after pouring rain, when everything
glitters with raindrops. I listened to my grandfather's stories in the 60-ies,
when I was trusting and faithful, and my grandfather - as any grandfather -
seemed to me as old as he would be now. He was coming from another world - the
world about which I could only listen.(Ó) I visited my family and this time
not me, but my son Mateusz, grand grandson of the ninety-years-old grand
grandfather Jozef listened to the stories of old times. And then I listened
again, because you have to be patient for that, but I did that for the sake of
Mateusz."
ODDS AND ENDS
RAMUNAS KATILIUS: Josif Brodski and Lithuania
The author, Lithuanian physician living in Vilnius, was a friend
of Josif Brodski deceased in 1996, literary Nobel prize winner (1987). The text
recounts the visits of the poet in Lithuania:
"Amaizingly soon we became friends with Josif. We used to
talk all nights and during the day we wandered through the streets of old part
of town. We listened to the mess in St Teresa Church, we walked through the
corridors of Dominican Monastery. There was also a special kind of night walks
- with climbing the roofs of the old buildings. Josif liked these walks,
partly because of the risk: we could have fallen or got caught by a night guard
or policeman."
OLEG KURDIUKOV: Mandelsztam and a cherry-tree in Zagare
The journalist of Lithuanian TV describes in his poetical essay
the Lithuanian roots of Osip Mandelsztam.
MICHAL STEFANSKI: The Word of priest Feliks Mieszkis
Life of Feliks Mieszkis (1880-1955) - priest, controversial
felietonist and author of novels:
"The works of Mieszkis, the "ecclesiastic
preachery", are characterised by each of the above features, but they are
not the most important element of his literature. Apart from lots of evident
stereotypes that he follows and often even implements in his books, his works
contain may sentences proving individuality and consciousness of his own
literature."
JIRI CERVENKA: Road to Szetejnie
Literature is often a motive of travels. This time it leads the
author, a Czech writer and poet to Szetejnie, place where Czeslaw Milosz was
born:
"The notion that we could better understand the poetry in
the environment that inspired the author or influenced the poetical images is
both tempting and misleading. Sometimes however we give in to the willingness of
embracing the reality that has never before been touched with words, in the
naive hope that right now we will discover the mystery that the author had to
know, but somehow he forgot to share it with us."
THE DISPLAY-PUBLICATIONS
There are the discussions of recent publications: albums, books,
periodical and musical recordings published in Poland and abroad, devoted to the
problems of Central-Eastern Europe culture.
CANDLES IN THE WIND
CZESLAW MILOSZ: The end of the Great Duchy
Life of Józef Mackiewicz, writer, who before war co-operated
with the Vilnius newspaper "Slowo".
THE HOUR OF THOUGHT
LEWIS HYDE: Some Food We could Not Eat
Anthropological essay on the nature of gift. The author
dedicated the text to Czeslaw Milosz.
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