World War II and its aftermath are still in the books, but it was so long ago that I don't even remember. Wars and conflicts are still going on – in Ukraine and the Middle East – and books from these regions are especially important.
I look at what I wrote this year and at the same time I remember what I didn't write about, because I didn't manage to write about all the books and I don't remember some books. wrote about It won't be a rating, just let's say a chat. I remembered, I will also remind you and maybe add something.
Let's start with the essays. Normally I'd be a little afraid of them, all these serious men, but these are going to be essays written by women.
He started the year Veronica Murek with a book girls. Some Essays on Becoming. If I didn't know this author's other achievements, I might fear that this would be a predictable lesson – about the socialization of girls and how it harms them. And I'm not interested in girls anymore, but it turned out that you can write so much about them, and not obviously!
I had a similar experience with the essay Renata Lis, My beloved and me – I know what discrimination of LGBTQ+ people is, why and how it should be changed. But this personal story is more complicated than “let me tell you what it's like to be a lesbian.” Personal, well written, I found it not only interesting, but important, hitting at the right moment. Liked, read, discussed, discussed – I think a lot of good came out of it.
And by the way, it might be worth reaching for A fascinating biography of Maria Rodzievichona, Rodzievich-Ona. hot soul Emilia Padoli And see how strange it was a hundred years ago. And remind us that no one is limited by gender identity and sexual orientation. Nor according to the gender assigned at birth. People also have personality, character, different interests and different way of life. And it's often more interesting.
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and the third woman's essay – Olga Drenda A humorous word. Anyone who has read it has good theoretical equipment to follow the plot of the series 1670 Drenda begins her book by talking about how uncomfortable we feel when someone doesn't understand our jokes. But it turns out that there is an even stronger emotion – how is it possible that I like it and you don't (or vice versa)? There are arguments and insults. And I think it's the laugh, or the lack of it, first, and the justification is made after the fact, after the laugh. And it's interesting that we pretend to be tolerant, accept and even celebrate all differences, but why should anyone have a different sense of humor than us? Scandal!
And what's funny about that? (Kinga Dunin reads Olga Drenda)
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However, they turned out to be a real hit of the season Peasant women. A story about our grandmothers Joanna Kutziel-Fridrisak. Perhaps not everyone had the patience to read it Folk history of Poland or Rabli, but the basis of the folk phrase was prepared, and something more accessible was needed. And let it be about women. For me, this book may have lacked some of the historical and sociological breath that would have placed it in a wider context, but given how well it sold and how widely it was read, it must be considered an important event in our collective consciousness. Excellent!
Was there anything that stood out in Polish fiction? Those who know more will definitely mention it Two novels of movement Mateusz Gorniak, Here comes the big boy Grzegorz Bogdal, greedy Malgorzata Lebda, skin weight Malgorzata Regmer. However, we regular readers just want a good novel, and I think that's what we got from this book Ishbel Sataravska.
The Thunder of Eels and Mr. Pathetic (Kinga reads Szatrawska and Houellebecq)
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Tony It has different time plans, up to the present day, but the most impressive part of the novel is probably the part about the end of the war and the post-war period in East Prussia. If this interests you, I will direct your attention to a German novel about the end of this world – All for nothing Walter Kempowskiego. He is an important author in Germany, but we have only now received his first Polish translation.
The End of the Jorgenhof Estate (Walter Kempowski's “All in Vain”)
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And if we're more interested in what happened next, we can read on Odrozania. Travel to restored areas Zbigniew Rokita. Odrsania is a land created on the territory of restored territories, or rather acquired territories, which also includes the territories of the former East Prussia. A good book, written with great love and sympathy for these places, instead of complaining that they “don't exist and never will”. I have one main problem – the author did not convince me that this land really exists. Of course, Wrocław is different from Bialystok, but since the 1990s we still tell each other the stories of small homelands that were built in the place where others lived, but cannot be missed, or those that were lost in the borders or in Galicia – but in my country. According to them, they are an integral part of the country-wide, or as Rokita would say, history of the Vistula. (Szatravska, for me, fits into this trend). They do not really prove the existence of other worlds, except Wislansky.
World War II and its aftermath are still in the books, but it was so long ago that I don't even remember. Wars and conflicts are still going on – in Ukraine and the Middle East – and books from these regions are especially important. Especially if it is really good literature, for example a Palestinian novel Authors Adanya Shibla minor detail. and from Ukrainian literature back to back Haska ShijaniMaybe not that good, but interesting in the context of what's going on.
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You can also go back to the classics. I'm glad that I came back Light in August Faulkner In a new translation by Piotr Tarczynski. and something completely different – Trumpet to listen Leonora Carrington. It's funny. You don't always have to chase what's brand new. It is good that new translations of the classics are being created, we get books that are not the latest, but we did not have the opportunity to read before, such as Kempowski or the wall Marlene Haushofer.
There is a method to this madness (Kinga Dunin reading Carrington and Sienchik)
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And finally, something lighter – if we can say that on three thick books, let's not forget genre literature and fantasy. My discovery is this year Rebecca Huang and his trilogy Poppy Wars. And the biggest disappointment is this year's Nobel Prize, Septology John Foss.
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