16. Books in Action: From Concept to Presentation

An important part of our mission is to popularize books, the practice of their reading, and knowledge of Polish, as well as to promote Polish Studies outside Poland. Members of the Faculty of Polish Studies serve on competition juries and panels of prestigious awards; participate in meetings, programs and broadcasts on radio, television and the Internet; organize workshops for schools, libraries, government institutions and NGOs; teach Polish as a foreign language and engage in speech therapy activities.

 

We not only study but also animate Polish literary life. The quarterly Tekstualia provides a platform for budding authors and critics. We also organize discussions on newly published books as well as meetings with authors and professionals from various sectors of the publishing industry.

We recognize the vital role of books in the lives of the youngest readers. Members of the Centre for Research on Children’s and Young People’s Literature participate in initiatives such as the Polish Book Institute’s campaign Mała książka – wielki człowiek (Little Book – Big Man). As part of this action, reading kits are assembled and given to newborns and their caregivers.

We also produce publications that expand the literary horizons of adult audiences. For example, the series Didactica (edited by M. Zawadzka) published the textbook for studying ancient Greek titled Hellenes esmen pantes (We Are All Greeks) (by M. Mikuła and M. Popiołek. Biblioteka Polonicum and Studia Glottodydaktyczne (The Polonicum Library and Studies in Glottodidactics) series include research on incorporating cultural and literary content into the teaching of Polish as a foreign language.

We edit and publish not only books but also journals. There are fourteen periodicals affiliated with the Faculty of Polish Studies, which reflect its diverse research interests These include Prace Filologiczne (Philological Works), established in 1884, the English-language Baltic Linguistics or Forum Artis Rhetoricae, a journal dedicated to the study of rhetoric.