A system of free distribution of Polish periodicals and books to foreign popularisers of Polish culture.

The aim of the "Closer to Poland" programme is to provide access to Polish newspapers and literature to foreign centres and persons promoting Polish culture, who receive support for their everyday work from the programme.

Individual recipients:

• teachers of Polish
• translators of Polish literature
• specialists in Polish studies, Slavic studies, literary studies, linguistics, and cultural studies
• specialists in literature, film, theatre, visual arts, music
• cultural animators
• reporters, journalists

Institutions:

• universities
• departments of Polish studies and Slavic studies
• libraries
• cultural institutions and centres
• scientific research institutions
• government and public institutions

Periodicals are dispatched once a month. Once or twice a year, we try to send our recipients two books each, selected from a catalogue of newly published Polish literature. All materials are sent by post.

In the 2008 year 7200 magazines were sent to 527 recipients in 38 countries. Most readers came from countries in Eastern and Central Europe. 16 titles were sent: "Nowe Książki", "Tygodnik Powszechny", "Twórczość", "Dialog", "Nowaja Polsza", "Ruch Muzyczny", "Literatura na Świecie", "Odra", "Polityka", "Arteon", "Le Theatre en Pologne", "Didaskalia", "Teatr", "Res Publika Nowa", "Midrasz" and "Exit".

If you would like to become a participant in the "Closer to Poland" programme, please fill in the appropriate form:

• for institutional participants
  
  
• for individuals

Please send the form via e-mail to: zkielinski@iam.pl or print it out and mail to: ul. Mokotowska 25, 00-560 Warszawa, Poland, or send by fax to: (+48) 22 44 76 152.

NB. Receiving your selected publications is subject to their availability.

The "Closer to Poland" project is managed by Zbigniew Kielinski tel. (+48) 22 44 76 138, fax (+48) 22 44 76 152, zkielinski@iam.pl


The following projects have been completed in the "Closer to Poland" programme:

2007

New Books From Poland

The participants of the "Closer to Poland" program received another edition of the "New Books From Poland 2007" catalogue. 145 recipients (among them translators of Polish literature and Institutions for Poles living abroad) were asked to choose 4 titles from 94 propositions. The most popular books were:

1. "Niesamowita Slowianszczyzna" [This Amazing Slavdom]- Maria Janion, Wydawnictwo Literackie 2007
2. "Tekstylia bis. Slownik mlodej polskiej kultury" [Tekstylia Bis. Dictionary of Young Polish Culture] - Korporacja Ha!art. 2007
3. "Obyczaje w Polsce" [Customs In Poland] – Andrzej Chwalba (ed.), PWN
4. "Moje pierwsze samobojstwo" [My First Suicide] - Jerzy Pilch, Swiat Ksiazki 2006
5. "Traktat o luskaniu fasoli" [A Treatise on Shelling Beans] – Wiesław Mysliwski, Znak 2007
6. "Lawina i kamienie. Pisarze wobec komunizmu" [The Avanlanche and Rocks. Polish Writers and Communism] - Anna Bikont, Joanna Szczesna, Proszynski i S-ka 2006
7. "Literatura polska po 1939 roku" [Polish Literature after 1939] - Stanisław Burkot, PWN 2007.

Promotion of the Polish language

44 departments of Slavic studies and Polish language at the universities in: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine and USA were sent the following sets of dictionaries by PWN:

• Universal dictionary of the Polish language PWN, 4 volumes + CD,
• Great orthographic dictionary of the Polish language PWN + CD,
• Great dictionary of Polish synonyms PWN + CD.

2006

New Books From Poland

As part of promoting Polish contemporary literature, the programme "Bliżej Polski" ["Closer to Poland"] offered its addressees, including translators, departments of Polish literature and Polish community centres, to choose three titles from the catalogue "New Books from Poland 2006", which was prepared courtesy of Instytut Książki in Krakow. From among the 37 titles, the most eagerly chosen ones were:

1. "Baltazar - Autobiografia" – Sławomir Mrożek, Noir sur Blanc, 2006
2. "Sztuka w Polsce 1945-2005" – Anda Rottenberg, Stentor, 2005
3. "Polacy na Kremlu i inne historie" – Janusz Tazbir, Iskry, 2005
4. "Dwukropek" – Wisława Szymborska, Wydawnictwo a5, 2006
5. "Korespondencja" – Zbigniew Herbert, Stanisław Barańczak, Fundacja Zeszytów Literackich, 2005

2004

New Books From Poland

As a means of promoting Polish literature, the "Closer to Poland" programme offered the participants, particularly translators, the opportunity to choose two titles from the catalogue New Books from Poland 2004, prepared and made available by the Book Institute of Krakow. Out of an offering of several dozen titles, the following publications were the most popular:

1. "Kalendarium zycia literackiego 1976-2000. Wydarzenia - dyskusje - bilanse" ["Calendar of Literary Life 1976-2000. Events - Discussions - Assessments"] - Przemyslaw Czaplinski, Maciej Lecinski, Eliza Szybowicz, Blazej Warkocki, Wydawnictwo Literackie - Krakow 2003
2. "Wypasiony slownik najmlodszej polszczyzny" [a dictionary of contemporary Polish slang] - Bartek Chacinski, Znak - Krakow 2003
3. "Slownik schulzowski" [a dictionary of terms related to Bruno Schulz] - Wlodzimierz Bolecki, Jerzy Jarzebski and Stanislaw Rosiek, Slowo/obraz terytoria - Gdansk 2003
4. "Zrozumiec swoj czas. Kultura polska po komunizmie. Rekonesans" ["Understanding One's Time. Polish Culture after Communism. A Reconnaissance"] - Teresa Walas, Wydawnictwo Literackie - Krakow 2003
5. "Moj przyjaciel Krol" [My Friend the King] - Jozef Hen, Iskry - Warszawa 2003

2003

New Books From Poland

As a means of promoting Polish literature, the "Closer to Poland" programme offered the participants the opportunity to choose two newly published literary works from the catalogue New Books from Poland 2003, prepared by the Literary Group of the IAM (today's Book Institute in Krakow). This offer was addressed to translators, Polish studies specialists, university departments of Polish studies, expatriate Polish centres. Out of an offering of several dozen titles, the following publications were the most popular:

1. "Orfeusz i Eurydyka" ["Orpheus and Eurydice"] - Czeslaw Milosz, Wydawnictwo Literackie, January 2003
2. "Regiony wielkiej herezji i okolice" ['Regions of the Great Heresy and Environs"] - Jerzy Ficowski, Wydawnictwo Pogranicze, December 2002
3. "Wojna polsko-ruska pod flaga bialo-czerwona" [UK title: "White and Red"; US title: "Snow White and Russian Red"] - Dorota Maslowska, Wydawnictwo Lampa i Iskra Boza, December 2002
4. "Listy albo opor materii" ["Letters, or the Resistance of Matter"] - Stanislaw Lem, Wydawnictwo Literackie, October 2002
5. "Zloty Pelikan" ["The Golden Pelican"] - Stefan Chwin, Wydawnictwo Tytul, January 2003, Series: Proza Wspolczesna

The partners of the "Closer to Poland" programme are:




































"Nowaja Polsza"