The second half of 2011 has been an exciting time, as Poland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Among the many events organized to mark the six-month Presidency was the celebration of one of Poland’s most popular and versatile prewar artists, Stefan Norblin. It was a dramatic homecoming, attended by the Maharaja of Jodphur and the artist’s American son, both visiting Poland for the event that brought to the artist’s homeland the largest single collection of Polish art, from India. CR brings you this fascinating story.
This issue contains work from writers representing several different generations. The youngest, Isabelle Sokolnicka, extends her exuberant congratulations to Poland. The optimism is just what the world needs now and it just might be contagious. So read on.
We’re pleased to be among the first to bring you a review of Agnieszka Holland’s new film, In Darkness, which she dedicated to the famed ghetto resistance leader, Marek Edelman. Presented at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film was reviewed for CR by the award-winning Canadian author, Eva Stachniak.
Also reviewed is The Labyrinth – The Testimony of Marian Kołodziej, a heart-stopping documentary produced by Hollywood’s immensely accomplished Schmidt family, including producer Ron, S.J.; and director, Jason.
The Second Generation, the children of the wartime generation, are discovering, or re-discovering, themselves and their parents. Toronto writer Andrew Borkowski revisits the immigrant neighborhood of his childhood and makes sharp observations about why it took so long to appreciate his father’s generation. Frank Zajaczkowski finally understands his father’s trauma; and Krysia Jopek writes a lyrical tribute to her family. In England, Krystyna Mew publishes her father’s wartime journal, which she found in an old box decades after his death. Lost Between Worlds restores to all of us a very gifted writer and to her, a missing piece of her identity.
Justine Jablonska interviews fellow Chicagoan Chris Swider, whose searing documentary about Stalin’s youngest “enemies of the state” was inspired by his father’s wartime experiences.
If you think a community has to be centered around a parish or a suburban neighborhood, meet a Polish “virtual community” whose members live in Australia, the U.S., Canada, the UK, Sweden and other countries. If a community can be defined by common interests, then the Kresy-Siberia group has certainly established its credentials by overcoming distance to establish a Virtual Museum, which is, at once, a memorial, a research resource and a museum.
CR would not be complete without some edgy poetry and some American perspectives on Polish films. Take a look at our Bulletin Board for some brief but special announcements.
Enjoy the read, and don’t hesitate to write to us. CR
Image: Beentree, Hippophaë rhamnoides in Białowieża 2005
