“TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY” – AGAINST THE INFLATION OF WORDS
“Can the devil be redeemed?” was the title of the meeting with Leszek Kołakowski, headed by Adam Boniecki, which recently took place in Auditorium Maximum. From the third party as well as first eye witnesses I learned that the philosopher avoided answering weighty and fundamental questions and tried with all his might to escape any classifications and 'pigeon-holing' of the meticulously abstracted theories. I was forced to keep asking and inquiring about the course of the meeting as it was beyond my power to squeeze into the incredibly crowded lecture hall, in spite of knowing all possible entrances – from the balconies and ground floor, and the main entrance as well. Crowds of people pushing one another were everywhere, thus futile were my hopes that it would be me who would be able to get in. The only thing I could do was to humbly retreat and go home, sit down and read the latest issue of “Tygodnik Powszechny” as a consolation.
Good old friend, but poor paper
The issue, as usually, is packed with articles, interviews, commentaries and reviews. There is a set of articles devoted to Benedict XVI's visit to Poland; there are also articles about the 'difficult lessons of history' (the reconciliation of Polish and Ukrainian presidents in Pawłokoma; an interview about historical politics with the vice-director of the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising or an article by Patrycja Bukalska on the planned building of Polish History Museum) and the modern Poland and world as well (this time we are served a dish of the currently popular nationalistic youth organisation: Młodzież Wszechpolska; commentaries by Krzysztof Kozłowski deal in turn with the current government; Andrzej Kaczmarczyk takes a stance on the election of Bronisław Wildsteing for the chairman of TVP). One will also find a monthly supplement “Książki w Tygodniku” (“Books in Tygodnik”), unfortunately, once again printed on a low quality paper. Most probably the current 'patron of paper quality' abandoned subsidising actually the only supplement on books available on the market that is definitely more than just a mere collection of tiny reviews with the sole purpose of increasing sales of some befriended publishing house. For a long time “Książki w Tygodniku” has remained and still remains a unique and unrivalled quality – extensive commentaries on books, interviews with writers, features, reviews of religious literature, from time to time reports of ongoing discussions and debates, portraits of writers or essays on their work. Fortunately, the quality of the published texts does not match the deteriorating quality of paper they are printed on. Very difficult it was to pick only few texts from the latest issue of “Tygodnik” (and also from most of the back copies) that I would like to recommend to the reader's special attention. Every single “TP” is like coming in contact with something extraordinary, unbelievable, even ennobling. It is like meeting an old good friend that we have not seen for a long time of one week.
Ficowki
In the 21st issue of “Tygodnik” Jakub Ekier pays a last tribute to Jerzy Fickowski. In the essay On nieobecny (He, the absent) Ekier says
“(Ficowski) attempted to include in his poetry the local colour, untranslatability to a large extend and Polishness, highliting the last word although it suffers serious propagandist misuse in AD 2006. Or not 'although' but 'because' it is this way, as Fickowski's life and works restore the noble meaning of Polishness. The meaning that does not contrast Polishness with ethnic mixture and coexistence. On the contrary, Polishness here is intrigued by this strangeness, nay.. even feels incomplete without it.”
And somewhat further “A great man. Maybe this epithet has worn out in the modern inflation of words, so probably one should seek another, more appropriate to express his uniqueness, and leave a mark in writing after Jerzy Ficowski.”
Definitions more important than experience
In the set of articles devoted to Benedict XVI's visit, apart from father Boniecki's text one should read carefully Oczekując Benedykta naszych czasów (Waiting for Benedict of Our Times) written by the archbishop Józef Życiński. It is a straightforward, weighty and wise piece of writing about Poland and Poles, about today and yesterday, about what we are and what we can become, about our virtues but also our vices:
“I regard the dispute on whether one can label the present young generation the Generation JP2 as a classic example of the battle of words, which is very common in societies where clear cut definitions are more important than experience. The latter dictates that one should not expect all young people to behave identically or unanimously express adherence to Christian doctrine.”
Many bitter and highly critical remarks appear in the text, which make it even more worth reading, not just stopping at the two quotes mentioned here. The second quote:
“A similar attitude of Pope's personal involvement in our cares was widely approved of, so the forthcoming visit is due to bring liberation from this narcissism of a kind. Consolidating your neighbours' faith requires these neighbours to deign to leave their own private ecclesiology.” (the fragment deals with the dispute that developed around Radio Maryja)
To leave it and turn, for example, to reading further pages of “Tygodnik”. There one will find, among others, improvised dialogues between the young and Benedict XVI, a discussion about Leonardo da Vinci's Code, the movie or a humorous feature about philosophers of Samoobrona (Self-Defence, a Polish political party) by professor Markowski.
Criticism and rejection as evidence of closeness
Despite the brevity of the article about the latest work of the controversial artist Dorota Nieznalska, one finds such sentences-pearls like “Criticism and rejection, unless bound to some ideology, paradoxically make up an evidence of closeness.” A text by Życiński mentioned above is such an evidence, as well as an interview about Judas carried out for “Książki w Tygodniku” by Artur Sporniak. A specialist in religious studies and philosopher, Zbigniew Mikołejko admits that
“Judas is also, whether I want it or not, my brother. What is more: Judas is in every one of us, what is confirmed by our smaller or more serious betrayals of those we live with and work for as well as of ourselves. Moreover, Judas’ figure is comfortable as it took over the Old Testament function of a scapegoat.”
An interesting voice in the debate now going on in media (on the both sides oh the political barricade) about the Gospel of Judas. In “Książki” appears also an essay on the works of Christina Woolf; next to it three other different, intriguing, interesting and important interviews: one with an Arabian author writing under the name Yasmina Khadra (“You do not understand anything although you think you do. You look at yourself in the mirror just to compliment yourselves. You feel better, more modern, but you are just conceited.”), another with a pair of Rafał Wojaczek’s friends: Danuta and Bogusław Kierc and the last one with the professor Joanna Tokarska-Bakir.
Bridling reader
The reader may of course bridle at this panegyric on “Tygodnik Powszechny”. However, I would advice the reader that bridles at the panegyric to read this Cracovian magazine. By doing so the readers bridling at panegyrics would believe what I have written to be true. This is what I hope for putting the last full stop at the end this article.
Grzegorz Wysocki
Translated by Anna Skrajna
Discussed journals: Tygodnik Powszechny