Milan Kundera: Chopin’s Piano / 7
The author’s love for music began as a child. When he was a teenager he succumbed, like many of his peers, to a fascination with communist ideology. However, he quickly experienced disillusionment with the Communists, who overran his country and introduced terror. He was expelled from university and lived among the workers, playing music in pubs. This period sparked his curiosity about the motivations of human behavior, which led him to become a writer a dozen years later. Kundera’s debut novel, The Joke, explores the theme of love and sex, which are tragically separated, and features two main characters whose stories intertwine. The threads are linked by humor, a desire for revenge and a search for the truth. According to Kundera, the novel as an epic genre is an analysis of human existence, not a form of confession or social commentary. He believes that a novel should be an intellectual synthesis, composed like music, and move freely through time, exploring the connections between past and present. He points to the writers who influenced him: Plato, Rabelais, Sterne, Diderot, Nietzsche, Kafka, Broch, Heidegger, Bataille and Gombrowicz.
Grzegorz Bazylak: poems / 12
Bogusław Bakuła: Utopia in an Anti-utopian World. Democratic Opposition about the Future of Central and Eastern Europe in 1968-1991 / 16
The article outlines the fate of discursive utopianism in the social, political and philosophical thought of dissidents active in Central and Eastern Europe in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. This period saw the emergence of two significant alternative concepts of non-socialist society shaped during mass political movements: the Czechoslovak Manifesto of Two Thousand Words by Ludvík Vaculík in 1968, and The Program of the Self-Governing Republic byBronisław Geremek in 1981. Alternative political, social and philosophical programs were also formulated in the works of Leszek Kołakowski, Leszek Nowak, Václav Havel, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Zinoviev, Józef Tischner and Jacek Kuroń, cited in the article. Related to the idealist utopian tradition, the dissidents’ concepts were an expression of disagreement with the authoritarianism of the communist political formation. Most of them (except the Russian ones) identified with the idea of open society propounded by Karl R. Popper and Central European philosophers.
Keywords: discourse of utopianism, utopian texts, anti-utopia, satirical utopia, dystopia, social philosophy, samizdat, dissidents, second-circulation publishing, prophetism, Bronisław Geremek, Ludvík Vaculík, Central and Eastern Europe, communism, socialism, “Prague Spring”, Solidarity
Ewa Elżbieta Nowakowska: poems / 36
Ladislav Dvořák: Like Flocks of Dead Birds / 39
The story is set in one of Prague’s antique shops during the communist regime. The protagonist is an employee who, in the past, during his studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, uncompromisingly acted in defense of civil liberties, due to which he was already pinned with the label of mentally unbalanced. He tries to save the works of prominent Czech writers of the interwar period which are being destroyed in a basement under an antique shop by two nameless men before being taken to the recycling plant. The macabre and surreal scene of books being slaughtered like cattle in a slaughterhouse also reflects the chaos and destruction of the world outside. The antiquarian is fired and goes to work in several Prague factories. After some time, the narrator sees him lying on a park bench surrounded by paper balls – he turns out to be dead. From an old woman rummaging through a nearby dumpster, the narrator learns that before his death he tried to feed the birds every day with scraps of pages torn from the books rolled into balls.
Marlena Citak: poems / 46
Lu Xun: On the Threshold of a New Era (Chinese Essays After a Century) / 49
Zhou Shuren (1881-1936), known by his pen name Lu Xun, is regarded as one of the most outstanding Chinese writers of the 20th century. He was the author of short stories, poems, prose poetry, and essays, aimed at sparking a spiritual revolution in a Chinese nation mired in stagnation. The essays presented here convey a critique of misguided patriotism and the rigid adherence to Confucian thought, distorted over the centuries. As a promoter of the idea of pacifism and the emancipation of women in the Middle Kingdom, Lu Xun went beyond the intellectual horizons of the first decades of the 20th century in his texts. The selection closes with a commentary by Adrian Skoczyński, the translator of the essays, who takes a closer look at the political and social context of their creation.
Keywords: Lu Xun (Zhou Shuren), Chinese literature, essays, China, pacifism, emancipation, Confucianism, tradition, modernity
Adrian Skoczyński: China of the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries and the Silhouette of Lu Xun / 57
Katarzyna Jaszczak: poems / 59
Karel Pecka: Minister’s Funeral / 63
The story is set during the socialist period in a Czech theater. The piece depicts the working day of a theater crew, which is making preparations for the funeral ceremony of an important minister, scheduled to take place in the theater building. The main character, together with other employees, faces the task of moving the catafalque onto the stage, a process fraught with significant tension. The characters have a variety of life experiences, which affects their approach to the task. Frustration is compounded by the actions of undercover agents from the Communist security service and the mass delivery of wreaths from various institutions. Ultimately, the entire staging is successfully completed, but one employee, who was the most emotionally invested in the endeavor, resigns and leaves the theater.
Magdalena Łubkowska: poems / 71
Josef Formánek: Smiles of Sad Guys (Notes on Treatment) / 74
Excerpts from Josef Formánek’s autobiographical book. The protagonist is an alcohol-addicted writer who decides to undergo treatment for the first time. During his stay at the facility, he meets other men who, having drunk their failures, have found themselves on the edge of life. These patients become allies in the difficult task of freeing themselves from addiction – from the “black dragon within themselves.” Inner bitterness, suffering, helplessness, fear and shame, however, do not prevent them from experiencing funny stories and situations arising from the abnormal coexistence of dozens of men in the inpatient ward, during the treatment itself. A non-stereotypical, sarcasm-lined approach to reality helps the protagonist embark on a journey to save his life.
Tadeáš Biron: poems / 83
Bohdan Zadura: Dominik Opolski, Domini Canis / 87
A memoir text dedicated to Dominik Opolski – a Lublin-based poet, novelist, graphic artist and aphorist, who died in 2017. Bohdan Zadura, a long-time friend of Opolski, brings readers closer to his character, vividly describing his first meetings with him, their joint work in the editorial office of “Akcent” and a number of events in which they participated together. Citing numerous anecdotes, Zadura also does not omit difficult matters, such as Opolski’s first marriage, which ended in divorce, or his eccentric manner, which often caused him problems in his personal and professional life. The memoirs in their essential form were written down in the late 1990s. Years later, the author annotated them with a commentary and presented them to the public for the first time in October 2024 during a session accompanying the unveiling of a memorial plaque on the facade of Opolski’s family home in Michów near Lublin.
Keywords: Dominik Opolski, “Akcent”, poetry, literary life, Puławy, Lublin
REVIEWS
Not only analytically …
Wiesława Turżanska: Why Exactly Galicia? [Norman Davies “Galicja”]; Ewa Dunaj: How Can (If at All) Time and Space Between People Be Overcome? [Wojciech Ligęza „Drugi nurt. O poetach polskiej dwudziestowiecznej emigracji” (“Second Current. On Poets of Polish Twentieth-century Emigration”)]; Tomasz Dostatni: On the Paths of Faith in the New World [Tomáš Halík „Listy do papieża. Zachęta do szukania nowych dróg” (“Letters to the Pope. Encouragement to Seek New Paths”)]; Wiesława Turżanska: Unusual Explorations of Jan Gondowicz [Jan Gondowicz „Flirt z Paralipomeną. Mitologie” (“Flirt with Paralipomena. Mythologies”)]; Teresa Dras: An Investigation into the Case of Józef Czechowicz [Tomasz Pietrasiewicz „Józef Czechowicz. Śladami poety. Lublin” (“Jozef Czechowicz. In the Poet’s Footsteps. Lublin”)] / 95
Reviews of recently published scholarly, essayistic, and documentary books, analyzed in the context of the most significant phenomena in contemporary culture.
DIASPORA ADDRESSES
Waldemar Kontewicz: Kacper in Canada (or a Bit of Pedagogical Art) / 118
Literary autobiography presented in a condensed form – half poetic prose, half fairy tale. The protagonist’s life was stigmatized by his parents’ past marked by fascism and communism. He grew up in a small town in Poland and developed a passion for science, and, with time, for literature and music. After college, he became a math teacher and taught children in various schools for a few years. He then emigrated to Canada and for a quarter of a century fulfilled himself as an unusual teacher using drawings, photos and watercolors to explain differential calculus or using official statistics to make the interaction between predators and prey clear, while his students, using logarithmic functions, created models of the spread of gossip in the school environment, for example. The protagonist is now retired. Schools, he declares, will be the most important part of his life.
ART
Lechosław Lameński: Rehumanization of Space. Czesław Podleśny and Milky Peter / 124
The vast area of the former Gdańsk Shipyard, closed in the late 1980s, is gradually coming back to life after years of stagnation, thanks largely to local artists. Members of the association WL4 – Art Space have taken over a former warehouse building known as “Milky Peter.” Its spacious interiors now house a large exhibition hall and 35 studios for artists of various disciplines from Poland and abroad. This location quickly became the informal center of contemporary artistic life in the Tri-City area. The association, primarily composed of painters and sculptors, as well as graphic artists and photographers, organizes regular exhibitions, meetings with creators, concerts, literary evenings, and discussion panels. Much of this success can be attributed to sculptor Czesław Podleśny and his wife Adriana Majdzińska, also a sculptor. Podleśny is the creator of fascinating figurative compositions, marked by immense expression and intensity, crafted from discarded metal parts (household appliances, engines, typewriters, pipes, springs, and sheet metal). With rare passion and a keen sense for futurism, he creates installations, objets d’art, and assemblages, also incorporating wood and his favorite medium, ceramics. Many of Podleśny’s works can be found both outside and inside “Milky Peter,” contributing to the unique character of this space.
Keywords: WL4 Association – Art Space, Milky Peter, Tri-City, Czesław Podleśny, Adriana Majdzińska, futuristic installations and figures, objet d’art, assemblage, metal, wood, stone, ceramics
František Kowolowski: Neomaster / 138
The Neomaster exhibition project presents key artists of the Ostrava art scene who have contributed to the formation of a new cultural identity for the city of Ostrava since the early 1990s. The project reflects not only their individual approaches, but also the significant influence of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ostrava on Czech artistic life. In this context, we can draw on the theoretical approaches of Arthur C. Dant, Martin Heidegger, Timothy Morton and Michel Foucault to gain a deeper understanding of the motivations of the authors and curators and the significance of the key elements of the exhibition. Traditional artistic gestures such as painting, drawing and sculpture are subtly transformed in the exhibition. The dialogue of traditional techniques with contemporary media results in new forms of artistic expression. This approach allows artists to create complex and multi-layered works that explore new forms of artistic expression and interpersonal interaction.
Keywords: Arthur C. Danto, Martin Heidegger, Timothy Morton, Michel Foucault, Neomaster, Ostrava art scene, multimedia expression, post-industrial content, metadocument, engaged art and eco-art, painting, drawing and sculpture
CONVERSATIONS
The Czech and Polish Race to Infinity. On History, Rebellious Life, and the Ostrava Art Scene – A Conversation with Tomáš Koudela by Sławomir Toman and Robert Kuśmirowski / 145
Robert Kuśmirowski and Sławomir Toman’s conversation with Czech artist Tomáš Koudela about the exhibition Neomaster – Ostrava Art Scene, presented in Lublin, turns rather quickly into a humour-filled story about the biography of the exhibition’s co-curator. Tomáš Koudela was not only a witness, but also an active participant in the political and social changes in the former Czechoslovakia and one of the important creators and animators of the Ostrava art community. He has also contributed to the development of Ostrava University, where he currently works, serving as vice-dean of the Pedagogical Faculty. Tomáš Koudela appears as a man of many talents: poet, novelist, publisher, educator, visual artist, gallery manager and tireless promoter of contemporary Czech art abroad.
AT THE VERNISSAGE
Grzegorz Józefczuk: About the Wirydarz Art Gallery on its 25th Anniversary / 159
The Wirydarz Art Gallery, founded by Piotr Zieliński a quarter of a century ago, is a unique and fascinating space with a rich history. It is probably the only private gallery in Lublin and likely one of the few in the country that continuously organizes public exhibitions and openings while effectively utilizing online promotion and offering many services in the field of art trade and consulting in this matter. Located in Lublin’s Old Town, the gallery specializes in figurative art, showcasing a remarkable diversity of highly original painting styles rooted in realism, colorism, and expressionism. Over the years, it has hosted exhibitions by outstanding artists such as Zofia Kopel-Szulc, Stasys, Andrzej Strumiłło, and Stanisław Baj. The gallery’s anniversary program featured exhibitions by Anna Karpowicz-Westner, Henryk Waniek, and Józef Wilkoń, followed by a special showcase of Andrzej Fogtt’s work, marking the 50th anniversary of his artistic career.
THEATRE
Magdalena Jankowska: The Two Marias – the Anniversary Edition / 163
For the 80th anniversary of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, the university’s Academic Center for Culture and Media prepared a performance dedicated to its patroness. Pierwiastki życia (The Elements of Life)is a story about the Nobel Laureate’s research path and her personal life. Humor was infused into the production through a subplot involving the statue of the university’s patroness stepping down from its pedestal. The straightforward narrative was framed in the style of a musical, blending dynamic storytelling with music, choreography, and an interactive approach to set design, all of which proved successful. The performance balanced entertainment with educational value, conveying messages about hard work and perseverance without overshadowing its playful and enjoyable nature.
DISCOVERED YEARS LATER
Nikola Oščádal: Czech Poet Anna Kvapilová and the Trace of her Poetry in Lublin / 166
Anna Kvapilová was a Czech librarian, poet, patriot and social activist born in 1905 in Vysoké Chumelci as Anna Fejtová, and died in 1992 in Oslo. She was active in the anti-Hitler resistance movement, for which she was imprisoned in Ravensbrück concentration camp. After the war, she emigrated to Norway, where she worked with Czechoslovak emigrants, founded aid centers and published a Czech-Norwegian dictionary. She became known as a poet in the women’s concentration camp Ravensbrück, where she was part of a group of talented and educated women who, despite the brutal treatment, inhumane conditions and constant threat of death, created an environment conducive to the development of art and culture. Due to the lack of paper, Kvapilová learned her poems by heart. A collection of her poetry from 1941-1945 was published in 1947 under the name Krajíček chleba (Slice of Bread), but the communist authorities removed it from bookstores and libraries. One of Kvapilová’s poems was discovered in the diary of fellow Ravensbrück prisoner Joanna Jankowska-Szydłowska of Lublin. An excerpt from this piece is published in “Akcent” for the first time.
MUSIC
Andrzej Gładysz: Musical Encounter of “Lech and Czech” / 171
A discussion of the concert of the Moravian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra from Olomouc (The Czech Republic), which took place at the Lublin Philharmonic Hall on November 14, 2024, as part of the nationwide tour of this orchestra on the occasion of the Year of Czech Music. In addition to comments on the performers, organizers and circumstances of the event, the historical and musicological context of the prepared repertoire was presented.
HONORARY CONSUL RECOMMENDS
Bogdan Łukasik: Czech Culture Fascinates / 174
Lublin hosts ten honorary consuls from around the world. The editorial team of “Akcent” decided to invite them to provide self-introductions and share recommendations of a few select cultural phenomena associated with the countries they represent. These insights will be featured in the pages of “Akcent”, offering readers a unique perspective on the cultural heritage and connections of these nations. Czech culture has long enjoyed worldwide recognition thanks to its outstanding writers, musicians and filmmakers; the Czechs are also famous for their love of theater. The Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic recommends the prose works by Ladislav Dvořák, Josef Formánek, Milan Kundera and Karl Pecka superbly translated by Andrzej Jagodziński. This prose is set in the realities of the second half of the 20th century and infused with a large dose of social criticism combined with a sense of humour. He also recommends Tadeáš Biron’s poems translated by Karol Maliszewski and Nikola Oščádal’s article on Czech poet Anna Kvapilova and her ties to Lublin. He finds the reflections around the Lublin presentation of artists from Ostrava and the reflections of Czech and Polish artists on contemporary art very inspiring. In addition, he encourages us to read a discussion of a concert by the Moravian Philharmonic from Olomouc, which recently performed in Lublin, and a review of Tomáš Halík’s new book Letters to the Pope.
POSTCARDS FROM THE ISLAND
Grażyna Lutosławska: Dinosaur / 177
CANADIAN NOTEBOOK
Marek Kusiba: Bone Writers (4). Places Touched and Places Chosen / 180
NO TITLE
Leszek Mądzik: The House of the Washerwoman / 184
PASSIONS
Marek Danielkiewicz: The Road to Michów / 185
FILM TASTINGS
Jacek Dąbała: Conflict is Chaos / 188
Notes about the authors / 189
