go back to Learning Polish
On-line reading materials
Autors of the period of Poland's partition (1795-1918)
Since the end of the 18th century, when Poland disappeared from the map for 123 years, the literature was the guardian of the national cultural identity.
Beneath you will find some of the classic authors read in schools. This part of the literature may cause problems to readers who are not yet well acquainted with the Polish language as most of works contain some archaic vocabulary.
Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1916) Biography
a symbol of "The National Poet of Poland" is regarded as the most exceptional of Poland's Romantics. Besides his intense involvement in literary affairs he was very active in the political field.
On-line texts:
Pan Tadeusz (Polish epic; one of the most important Polish works; in the course of the school education each student has to learn by heart an excerpt of it at least once ;)
Dziady II, Dziady III, Dziady IV romantic dramma
Wide collection of works: Adam Mickiewicz - Polish Internet Library
Collection of poems
Juliusz Słowacki (1809 - 1849) Biography
One of the biggest Polish poets, as a rival of Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki was having a literary dicussion with him about the role of Poland and the capacity of Poles in reconstruction of the country. Until now, there is an ongoing discussion between literature critics on which of both authors was a greater poet.
On-line texts:
Drammas: Kordian; Beniowski
Wide collection of works:
Polish Internet Library- Juliusz Slowacki
Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916) Biography
author of very popular novels about Polish history (so far the most widely read books in the country)
Collection of on-line texts:
Short stories, that are an obligatory part of school education in Poland: Janko Muzykant, Latarnik, Sachem, Sąd Ozyrysa
Novels (long, but still worth of reading):
Krzyżacy (about the times of Queen Jadwiga and Jagiello and the origin of the Polish-Lithuanian victory over the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410) Quo vadis (Nobel Prize, a novel depicting the birth of Christianity), Quo vadis (english version, for patient readers as displayed in a quite inconvinient way)
Trylogia: (collection of three novels about Polish-Swedish wars in the XVII century) Ogniem i mieczem; Potop, Pan Wołodyjowski
Władysław Stanisław Reymont (1867-1925) Biography
describes the Polish life at the end of 19th century, was honoured with the Nobel Prize for " The Peasants"
On-line texts:
Chłopi (The Peasants, Nobel Prize, picture of coutry life in Poland), Ziemia Obiecana (describes life of Poles, Germans and Jews in Lodz at the time of industralization and urbanization)
Bolesław Prus (1847 - 1912) Biography
pseudonym of Aleksander Głowacki, journalist, short-story writer, and novelist
On-line texts: Longer novels:
Placówka, Lalka
( depicts panorama of life in Warsaw in the end of 19th century, story of three generations of Polish idealists), Faraon (novel of the history of ancient Egyp, role of civilisation, science and religion).
Collection of short novels here
Modern Literature
Polish literature during the Communist era developed on two tracks. On the one hand, the Emigrant literature, free from the limitations of censorship, on the other hand the literature created within the country. In this part you can find a number of authors, whose works are displayed on the internet.
- Emmigrant Literature
Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004) Biography
essayist, novelist, and translator, in his poetic works, experienced the bitter fate of the emigrant. Miłosz had been honoured with many awards, culminating in the Nobel Prize in 1980
On the official website of Czesław Miłosz you will find studies of work on his poetry, interviews. memories and review of his work.
You can also find a selection of poems and essays as well as mp3 files with poems read by the author.
Leszek Kołakowski (1927) Biography
an anti-communist philosopher and essaist, one of the few Eastern European philosophers who earned an international reputation. In his works he addresses the general public, rather than focusing solely on the academic problems.
On-line texts:
Short essays: "O władzy" , "O podróżach"
- Literature within the country
Paradoxically, the conditions that made freedom of
speech
difficult, as well as the historical circumstances,
helped the
formation of the "Polish School of Poetry" within the country.
Fr. Józef Tischner (1931-2000) Biografia philosoper and essayist, approached the "Solidarity" movement in 1980, creating an axiological basis for the movement's activities and became its chaplain. After 1989, Tischner's publications aimed to intensify the changes and at the same time to defeat the remaining relics of the totalitarian system in Polish society, known as homo sovieticus.
On the Audio books mp3 files listen to fragments of books "Historia filozofii po góralsku" and "Wiesci ze sluchanicy" read by the author. Books are writen in the Góral dialect spoken in the south high mountains.
Poets
Wisława Szymborska (1923) Biography
poet and esseist. Poems of Szymborska has been translated into many languages and finally honoured with the Nobel Prize in 1996
Collection of poems you will find here
Tadeusz Różewicz (1921) Biography
poet and prose author, representative of the "war generation". In his works he has been reconstructing a world of values and questioning them once again.
Wide collection of poems you will find here
Zbigniew Herbert (1924-1998) Biography
essayist and playwright able to construct aesthetic reflection from any situation, may it be taken from everyday life or from mythology; Mr. Cogito in a poem "Przesłanie Pana Cogito" became an archetypal character in Polish literature, possibly the only one created in the second half of the twentieth century. Poems about Mr Cogito and a wide collection of Mr. Herbert's poems can be found here .
Bruno Schulz (1892-1942)
prosaic and graphic, published only two collections of tales before he was killed by the gestapo: Sklepy Cynamonowe (Cinnamon Shops) and Sanatorium pod klepsydra (Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass), written in strongly metaphorical prose filled with symbolism.
On this website you will find collection of his works and a detailed biograph.
On-line works: short stories, Sklepy cynamonowe, Sanatorium pod klepsydra
Stanisław Lem (1921)
The works of Stanislaw Lem are essential reading for fans of science fiction. Some novels are serious but most of them rather funny and grotesque. Lem's most popular novel, Solaris (1961), has been filmed twice: in 1972, by Andriej Tarkovsky and in 2002 by Soderbergh and Cameron.
The official webpage of Stanisław Lem, both in Polish and English. You will find a list of books, as well as commentaries, interviews and articles written for various newspapers, short stories and fragments of books.
On-line works: Jak ocalał świat, Życie na ziemi, Bajka o Królu Mudrasie
Sławomir Mrożek (1930) Biography
dramatist, prose writer, and cartoonist. Mrożek often uses surrealistic humor and grotesque situations in his plays, though still underlining that more absurd things happen in reality especially during the Communist 1960s in Poland.
On-line text:
Słon (really funny and ironic very short story)
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (1885 - 1939)
prose writer, dramatist and painter. The plays of S.I. Witkiewicz, "Witkacy" began only after his death. Comprehention of their structure and an illusionistic contruct were only possible in the Fifties at the time of fashionable "theatre of the absurd". His plays are performed on stages all over the world.
On-line texts:
Polish Nobel Laureates
Henryk Sienkiewicz (1905) for his extraordinary achievements in the field of epic prose and a "rare genius who concentrates in himself the spirit of the nation";
Władysław Reymont (1924) for the national epic, the novel The Peasants,
Czeslaw Milosz (1980) for his whole oeuvre
Wislawa Szymborska for her poetry (1996).
Most often translated authors
The most frequently translated and published abroad Polish authors: Stanislaw Lem (36 languages), Jerzy Andrzejewski (30), Wislawa Szymborska (22), Tadeusz Rózewicz (20), Marek Hlasko (19), Ryszard Kapuscinski (17), Czeslaw Milosz (15), Slawomir Mrozek (14), Karol Wojtyla - Pope John Paul II - (12), Zbigniew Herbert (11).
Other on-line texts
Miroslaw Zulawski "Tales told by my wife" (collection of short stories for intermediate to advance learners of Polish)
Marek Hlasko "Pierwszy krok w chmurach" (short story, author very popular among young people)
Polish song book collection of traditional Polish songs
ks. Jan Twardowski "Spieszmy sie" (one of my favourite poems)
Wislawa Szymborska "Nic dwa razy" (poem which was a text of a very popular song in Poland)
General daily press
"Gazeta Wyborcza" is the biggest (average circulation is about 600 000, and during weekends and holidays it reaches even up to a million) daily newspeaper in Poland. Its first edition came out in May 1989, just before the June parliamentary elections that initiated the new democratic system in Poland. The editor in chief of Gazeta has been from its beginning Adam Michnik - previously an opposition activist and intellectual.
"Super Express" is a popular daily newspaper, whose target audience is people who do not expect too deep and serious articles. Thus, the published texts are simple and the paper focuses on the lives of ordinary people. "Super Express" is read by about 14% of Poles.
"Rzeczpospolita" is an opinion-forming daily on general issues with wide financial and economic coverage. It produces a wide range of essential for enterpreuneurs specialist supplements, connected with business, financial and legal activities.
Economics
The economic daily paper "Puls Biznesu", published since 1997, is the leader in publishing economic information from different areas. After "Rzeczpospolita" it is the most popular daily newspaper among business people.
"Parkiet", another economic daily newspaper is exclusively devoted to the Warsaw Stock Exchange. It includes technical listings but also financial analyses, commentaries, and recommendations for investors. "Parkiet" comes out from Tuesdays through to Saturdays.
The monthly "Businessman Magazine" is read by Poland's managerial classes and business people and company owners. It provides information on business, economy, finance and advertising as well as regular publication of reports on the market.
Another economic monthly magazine is "Profit". The aim of the magazine is to present business and economic issues in an easy way.
Politics/Society
"Polityka" is the oldest weekly magazine which has been published since 1957. It provides analysis on recent political, economic and social issues in Poland and in the world. It is regarded as a rather left-wing opinionated magazine. At "Polityka" there have always been very well known Polish journalists, whose texts are often opinion-forming.
The second very popular weekly magazine is "Wprost" published since December 1982. The nation's most renowned politicians, economists and lawyers publish their texts here. The paper also provides political analyses, but is regarded as rather centre-right-wing.
Since September 2001 a Polish edition of "Newsweek" has also been published.
"Tygodnik Powszechny" is an exceptional "Catholic social-cultural magazine" weekly, appearing since 1945. It was the only legally published independent "social-political" magazine in the communist states and since its launch "Tygodnik" has always provided information and opinion on the most important social debates: the issue of the Catholic Church, the state of culture and the fate of Polish society.
"Obyczaje - magazyn miedzynarodowy" the magazine publishing articles about life style and culture in Poland and other, mainly European, countries.
Society
"Twój Styl" is one of the best selling and most popular magazines for women. The target audience are "intelligent, active and open women who care about how they look and feel". Research undertaken of "Twój Styl's" readers showed that men also widely read the magazine.
Education
"Perspektywy" monthly magazine providing information on education possibilities, publishing lists of schools, universities, post diploma courses etc.