Tag Archives: Poland

The Power of Wildness in the Times of Dystopia

At least for me, it has been a season for dystopian novels. After finishing Handmaid’s Tale and its sequel The Testaments, I moved on to rereading 1984. When a cruel new law was recently passed in Poland forbidding abortion in … Continue reading

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Symbolism of Amber

Nicola Tesla once said that though we cannot understand the life of crystals, they are nevertheless living beings. When it comes to amber, this precious gem, which is not even a stone per se, seems to vibrate with more life … Continue reading

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Two Symbols of the Jewish Warsaw: the Wall and the Palm Tree

I. THE WALL  “In Rome on the Campo dei Fiori baskets of olives and lemons, cobbles spattered with wine and the wreckage of flowers. Vendors cover the trestles with rose-pink fish; armfuls of dark grapes heaped on peach-down.   On … Continue reading

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In Defense of the Primeval Forest

“The edge of the cancer Swells against the hill-we feel a foul breeze-And it sinks back down. The deer winter here A chainsaw growls in the gorge. Ten wet days and the log trucks stop, The trees breathe. Sunday the … Continue reading

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Deeper and Deeper into the Heart of Darkness

On 10 July 1941, the most shameful chapter of my native Poland’s history was written. In a small town of Jedwabne, occupied by the Nazis, its sizeable Jewish community was brutally murdered by the Poles. For years, the perpetrators shifted … Continue reading

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Hope, Faith and Sublime Beauty in the Clamor of Suffering: “Ida”

Recently, the Polish movie Ida made a tremendous emotional impact on me. It is the sort of movie about which the less is known before seeing it the better, in order to approach it without any expectations. It is wonderfully … Continue reading

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1 September

“About Troy“ by Zbigniew Herbert Troy O Troy an archeologist will sift your ashes through his fingers yet a fire occurred greater than that of the Iliad for seven strings– too few strings one needs a chorus a sea of … Continue reading

Posted in Krakow | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Gift of Otherness

Joseph Conrad, a Polish writer who wrote in English and lived in England, summarized beautifully what I also feel to be the role of an artist:  “The changing wisdom of successive generations discards ideas, questions facts, demolishes theories. But the … Continue reading

Posted in Krakow | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

A Tribute to Home

Krakow I am spending a few days in Krakow, Poland, where I was born and where I grew up. I am reminded of the myth of Antaeus, a Titan who renewed his strength by touching the earth. I have been … Continue reading

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