The article offers a reinterpretation – within the framework of the environmental humanities – of the dialogue between Czesław Miłosz and the philosophical concept of inhumanism developed by the Californian poet John Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962). The core of their dispute, which concerned fundamental ontological and theological questions such as the status of human consciousness and the place of the human being within the hierarchy of beings, lies in the opposition between Miłosz’s anthropocentric stance and Jeffers’s naturalistic pantheism. Whereas Miłosz, expressing a certain aversion to an “unfriendly” Nature, sought grounding in Christian religion and in the universal “labyrinth of culture,” Jeffers celebrated the elemental force underlying existence and its manifestations in the inexhaustible forms of both animate and inanimate nature. The article also incorporates an American perspective, focusing in particular on the poem Reply to Miłosz’s Poem “To Robinson Jeffers” by the Californian poet Michael Whitt, included in the volume Wild Harvest: Poems from the Land (1995). Whitt’s poetic response to Miłosz’s work, situated within an ecological discourse, attempts to elucidate the reasons – such as cultural differences and divergent historical experiences – why an understanding with the Polish poet proved unattainable. In an era marked by intensifying anthropogenic pressure and accelerating climate change, a renewed reading of the “dispute” between Miłosz, aligned with the “human order,” and Jeffers, who prioritized the well-being of the planet over the particular interests of humankind, appears both timely and necessary.

This article provides a synthetic overview of Polish literature translated into Lithuanian between 2014 and 2024 in the Republic of Lithuania, as well as profiles of the most prominent translators and their translation activities undertaken in cooperation with local publishers. It also presents strategies for popularizing Polish fiction among diverse audi­ences (literature for adults, children, controversial literature, the case of Józef Mackiewicz’s prose). The discussion is cross-
sectional in nature, situating translations from Polish against the backdrop of general development trends in the Lithuanian publishing market over the last decade of this century. The presentation of the most important and artistically interesting strategies for popularizing Polish fiction (meetings accompanying the promotion of translations, exhibitions, film adaptations of works, the latest comparative studies) leads to the revelation of the long-term culture-creating effects of translators’ activities (interest in the works of Witold Gombrowicz or Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz), resulting in an attempt to identify the local specificity of the reception of Polish literature in the Republic of Lithuania. Research based on publishing market studies, reviews, and evaluations of publication promotion strategies also takes into account artifacts from the field of commemorative art honoring Polish literary figures in Lithuania.

Upper Silesia is a region with a complex cultural and national identity, shaped by frequent changes in state affiliation and the blending of Polish, German, and Czech traditions. The turbulent history of this region led many Silesians to emigrate in the 19th century, including to the United States of America. In her reportage Miasteczko Panna Maria. Ślązacy na Dzikim Zachodzie [The Town of Panna Maria. Silesians in the Wild West] (2024), Ewa Winnicka reconstructs this story, focusing on the fate of the inhabitants of the village of Płużnica Wielka in Upper Silesia, who arrived in America on December 3, 1854, seeking a new life. Her narrative places the Silesians’ experience in the broader context of the history of Texas, showing the Silesian-American character of the region and the ways emigrant identity was formed. Winnicka’s work also offers significant glottodidactic potential. The story of Silesian emigrants living in a multicultural environment can serve as engaging material for teaching Polish as a foreign language. Relevant excerpts from the reportage can be used to practice writing descriptive texts, following the rules of text composition proposed by Ewa Lipińska. The article aims both to introduce learners to the history of Silesian emigrants in Texas and to help them develop their written expression at an intermediate level.

Julia Hartwig’s work is rooted not only in Polish culture, but also in French and American cultures. The poet emphasised the need to view native literature in the “neighborhood” of other literatures, and she herself introduced the works of foreign authors by translating them into Polish. While Hartwig’s translational achievements have already been the subject of academic research, the aspect of her activity related to transferring Polish literature into new linguistic and cultural contexts remains largely unexplored. This article attempts to fill this research gap, paying particular attention to the literary transfers that began with the poet’s departure for the USA in the early 1970s. The interpretation of Hartwig’s American Diary and the analysis of selected unpublished materials from the poet’s archive (held at the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature in Warsaw), undertaken from the perspective of Pascale Casanova’s concept of the ‘World Republic of Letters’, make it possible to examine the poet’s transfer strategies and to advance the thesis that she assumed the role of a “literary travelling saleswoman”, promoting the achievements of “minor literature” within the global centre.

This article explores the reception of translations of 20th-century Polish literature in leading Ukrainian periodicals. Given the difficult state of the national publishing market during the first fifteen years of independence, these journals became the primary – and in some cases, remain the only – venue for the publication of many works by modern Polish writers. The selection of titles – “Vsesvit,” “Yi,” “Potiah 76,” and “Kyivska Rus” – reflects their distinct editorial missions, each offering a different perspective on their role during a period of national cultural upheaval. Most of the texts published in these journals engaged with political, social, and cultural issues, fuelling vital debates among Ukrainian intellectuals about key post-Soviet geopolitical and cultural questions. By providing a systematic description and detailed inventory of these translations, this study reveals the mechanisms behind the formation of the Ukrainian canon of neighbouring literatures. Organized chronologically, it highlights the shifting dynamics of this reception, which in turn mirrors broader changes in value systems and civilizational orientations within Ukrainian society after 1991. In the early 1990s, translations often focused on works challenging the Soviet totalitarian legacy. From the mid-1990s, attention shifted toward texts exploring national and cultural transformations in post-Soviet countries, their civilizational encounters, and a sense of belonging and dialogue with tradition. Only from the early 21st century has this spectrum expanded to include Polish publications addressing the complex process of post-communist countries integrating into Europe, including the phenomenon of Central and Eastern Europe and European identity.

This article looks at the work of Marta Reszczyńska-Stypińska, focusing on her contribution to émigré literature and her role in sustaining national identity beyond the borders of the homeland. It begins from the observation that the Polish literary canon still tends to marginalize writers working in exile, and argues for a reassessment of their place within it. Reszczyńska-Stypińska’s writing offers a compelling example of how collective memory, traumatic experience, and reflection on the individual’s place in the world intersect. The article discusses the range of literary forms she employs – from introspective poetry and narrative prose to drama – showing how these modes intertwine with themes of national identity, loss, and nostalgia. Particular attention is given to literature as a space of dialogue between the past and the present, and as a means of shaping cultural community in dispersed contexts. The article employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining literary studies with postcolonial theories and cultural memory studies. Analyses of literary texts and reviews are juxtaposed with historical and cultural contexts, allowing for the capture of the unique hybridity of the author’s experiences. The study reveals that Reszczyńska-Stypińska’s work expands the boundaries of the literary canon, offering a fresh perspective on émigré and women’s writing, and on its role in preserving national heritage. More broadly, the article contributes to discussions of transnational literature by emphasizing the importance of female experience in rethinking the national canon and enriching debates on literature of memory and testimony.

The article addresses the issue of the narrative agency of the body in the context of Olga Tokarczuk’s literary oeuvre, drawing on the assumptions of material ecocriticism. The choice of this topic is motivated by the need to redefine the relationship between humans and nature in the face of the contemporary ecological crisis. The main focus of the study lies in examining the interplay between material and discursive elements in Tokarczuk’s works, which together generate narrative meanings. The article analyzes anthropological and literary representations of the body as a medium of communication with nature, emphasizing its agency and its capacity to generate new narratives. These issues resonate with Carl Gustav Jung’s concept of Unus Mundus, which appears in Tokarczuk’s writing. The key arguments point to a posthumanist approach to literature, in which the body is not merely an object of representation but an active participant in the creative process. Hybrid figures and the phenomenon of pain are presented as forms of communication that transcend human experience, revealing the narrative agency of the body. The methodology employed involves literary analysis conducted within the framework of material ecocriticism, demonstrating how the body and nature co-create literary texts. The conclusions situate the study within the context of contemporary environmental humanities.

This article discusses Po obu stronach oceanu [On Both Sides of the Ocean], the memoirs of the Polish émigré writer Zofia Arciszewska, published in 1976 by the Polish Cultural Foundation in London. The work is a retrospective account of the author’s life, interwoven with reminiscences of other women who participated in the defence of Warsaw in 1939. Arciszewska’s memoirs are notable for their strong emphasis on female solidarity and sisterhood. Women provided one another with emotional support at times when information about the fate of their husbands and sons – who were fighting or imprisoned – was unavailable. They formed networks of informal organisations that assisted those who had been arrested, smuggled medicines, letters from abroad, and travel documents, and distributed underground leaflets. By documenting the everyday life of the capital during the first days of war and occupation, Arciszewska conveys women’s emotions: their courage as well as their fear, hope, and compassion. She assumes the role of a custodian of memory, not so much of historical events as of the attitudes and actions of Warsaw women. In this sense, her memoirs serve as a form of resistance against forgetting and indifference toward these silent heroines of the war. It is worth highlighting that this piece can be read not only as an emotional story about family, separation, war, emigration, and building a life “on both sides of the ocean,” but also as a record of historical events. The numerous dates, places, names, and institutions interwoven into the narrative create a portrait of the era. From this perspective, Arciszewska’s memoirs constitute a valuable source for research on the experiences of Polish women and men in emigration.

This article examines the reception of the works of two Polish authors who have lived abroad for many years while continuing to write in Polish: Wioletta Grzegorzewska, a poet and prose writer based in England, and Grażyna Plebanek, a novelist living in Brussels. Their biographies and literary works display significant similarities and can be situated within the category of women’s writing, with the migratory dimension as their most prominent shared feature. To date, no comprehensive study has addressed the reception of their works in Poland and abroad. A compilation of data on their publications, translations, award nominations, adaptations, interviews, and reviews in Polish and foreign media, as well as participation in literary events in Poland and other countries, demonstrates that both Grzegorzewska and Plebanek operate simultaneously within three spheres: the domestic, the Polish diaspora, and the international. In each of these, they have achieved considerable success. Particularly evident in Plebanek’s case is the aspect of her writing activity that involves disseminating knowledge about Poland through her work and countering negative stereotypes about the country. The analysis further shows that Grzegorzewska has become one of the most recognisable Polish authors in the English-speaking world, while Plebanek has attained a comparable position in the French-speaking world.

The article discusses the reception of Stanisław Lem’s work in Romania, with particular emphasis on the translation of his oeuvre into Romanian. This subject is important due to the growing interest in science fiction literature and Lem’s unique position: apart from Andrzej Sapkowski (representing the fantasy genre), he remains the only Polish science fiction author whose works have been translated into Romanian. The article provides an overview of the various forms and channels through which Lem’s work reaches Romanian readers, primarily through translations, literary criticism, and cultural events associated with the writer. The study highlights the importance of direct translations from Polish and the impact of indirect translations on the perception of Lem’s work, while also acknowledging the role of cultural promotion. The research includes an analysis of existing literature, a review of translations and an examination of literary blogs. The findings indicate that although Lem’s work is highly esteemed among science fiction enthusiasts, he remains a niche writer in Romania. The article contributes to a broader understanding of the reception of Polish literature in Romania and the role of translations in shaping the image of Polish literature in Romanian culture.

This article examines the presence of Polish poetry published in Italy from the 1930s to the present day, as identified and discussed through a bibliographic survey of poetry anthologies published in Italy in recent decades. Many anthologies of Polish poetry have been published with the aim of popularizing the genre, while also striving to present the Polish poetic landscape as fully as possible. These publications offer readers the opportunity to become acquainted with the most influential works and ideas. Particular attention is devoted to the editors and authors involved in producing such volumes. The text also reflects on the dynamics of creating a new canon, which does not always align with the one established in Poland. Depending on the editorial policies of individual publishing series, the project of presenting the anthology as an autonomous literary form and genre – as we shall see – is realized by entrusting the editing to experts or specialists in the field. One might even say that publishers most often entrust the editing of anthologies to none other than recognized scholars, qualified translators, and editors of proven prestige.

This article examines the work of Agnieszka Dale – a Polish writer who has lived in London for over 20 years and is the author of short stories written in English. The stories collected in the volume Fox Season and Other Short Stories (2017) focus on the political events and social tensions preceding Brexit, depicting the everyday experiences of migrants and the atmosphere of growing uncertainty. The aim of this article is to provide an introductory discussion of Dale’s prose, as well as an attempt to capture how literature addresses the socio-cultural complexity of processes resulting from political conditions that have significantly altered the status, position, and sense of belonging of European Union citizens living in the United Kingdom. The analysis also examines selected narrative strategies, ways of constructing the migration experience, and representations of intercultural relations present in the author’s short stories, with particular emphasis on the female perspective and the experience of everyday life. Dale’s work, still relatively unknown to Polish readers, constitutes an important and valuable voice in the emerging BrexLit movement, documenting the migration experience, identity tensions in contemporary Europe, and the transformations of contemporary forms of cultural identity.