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Censorship of Literature in Post-War Poland: In Light of the Confidential Bulletins for Censors from 1945 to 1956

Censorship of Literature in Post-War Poland: In Light of the Confidential Bulletins for Censors from 1945 to 1956

Anna Wiśniewska-Grabarczyk

Ebook

The author’s focus on a relatively neglected field of censorship research – the bulletins – and attempt to provide a systematic account of their role and nature marks the key innovative aspect of the work. I deeply appreciate and admire the colossal labour that the author has undertaken to produce the text, especially in the extremely difficult circumstances that we have had to endure these past two years.

Dr. John M. Bates
University of Glasgow

The reviewed publication will enable foreign readers to get an insight into how the system of control and repression operated in Poland during the Stalinist era. Furthermore, it will familiarize them with the history of Poland, including Polish literature of that period.

Prof. Kamila Kamińska-Chełminiak
University of Warsaw

Wiśniewska-Grabarczyk’s monograph is based on rich source material and is of great intellectual value. The publication of the book in English will further research on communist censorship in Central and Eastern Europe in the context of comparative analysis.

Prof. Sławomir Buryła
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

INTRODUCTION        11

Some Remarks about Censorship in Poland in the Years 1944–1990  11

Research Assumptions   13

State of the Art  17

Source Material 20

Rules for Presenting the Material 23

 

PART ONE. IN SEARCH OF A DEFINITION: WHAT WERE THE CONFIDENTIAL BULLETINS FOR CENSORS? CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL      25

  1. The Purpose of Creating a Confidential Periodical for Censors     27
  2. The Censor as the Co-Author of Bulletins for Censors     31
  3. Characteristics of the Source Material and the Issue of the Bulletin’s Identity      43
  4. The Bulletin for Censors as a Cryptotext. A Defi             ion of the Genre  51

 

PART TWO. LITERATURE AND CURRENT LITERARY PHENOMENA  55

I. Fiction           57

    1. The Censor’s Struggle with the Text. Some Preliminary Remarks         57

1.1. Literary and Cultural Issues on the Pages of the Bulletins 57

1.2. The Censorship of Fiction        60

1.3. The Specifics of Book Inspection           68

    1. Competition for a Censorship Review of Wanda Wasilewska’s Novel Rzeki Płoną     73

3. Poetry      83

3.1. How to Review Poetry Selections? Ginczanka, Hollender, Słonimski, Ważyk, and an Unknown Red Army Man           83

3.2. An Evaluation of the Poetic Publications Printed by the “Czytelnik” Publishing Cooperative in 1951             100

3.3. On the Works of Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna       110

3.4. On a Discussion of the Poem “Oskarżam” by Mikołaj Rostworowski       120

3.5. Other Poetic Works Discussed in the Bulletins: (Not Only) Norwid, Pasternak, Lenin, Mayakovsky, and Jasieński     127

4.       Prose Works        131

4.1. How to Review Select Prose? Nałkowska, Borowski, and Bartelski        131

4.2. Books Selected for Discussion in Censorship Offices Between 1952 and 1956  146

4.2.1. Titles Selected for Discussion in Censorship Offices in 1952: (Not Only) Kuśmierek and Czeszko             149

4.2.2. Books Selected for Discussion in Censorship Offices in 1953 167

4.2.3. Books Selected for Discussion in Censorship Offices in 1954: (Not Only) Brzeziński, Kuśmierek, Kubalski, and Promiński  168

4.2.4. Books Selected for Discussion in Censorship Offices in 1955: (Not Only) Kowalewski, Dróżdż-Satanowska, Stadnicki, and Bednorz 175

4.2.5. Titles Selected for Discussion in Censorship Offices in 1956: (Not Only) Andrzejewski, Rudnicki, and Flaszen      184

4.3. Books Discussed as Part of the Series For a Higher Level of Work on the Book: (Not Only) Nałkowska, Czeszko, Lācis, Meisner, and Jackiewicz        192

4.4. Other Prose Works Discussed in the Bulletins: (Not Only) Sowińska, Koźniewski, Strumph-Wojtkiewicz, Gil, Zalewski, Bocheński, Bartelski, Dębnicki, Dobraczyński, and Żeromski   202

5.       Dramatic Works 211

6.       Satirical Works   217

7.       Children’s and Young Adult Literature        231

8.       Literature and Discussions of the “Thaw”    251

9.       Censorship According to Publisher: (Not Only) “Czytelnik”   257

10.     Literary and Cultural Issues in the Press       269

  1. Non-fiction  277
    1. Scientific and Popular Science Publications 277

1.1. Scientific and Popular Science Publications in the Humanities      278

        1. Publications in the Field of Literature (and Culture)            278

1.2. Scientific Publications in the Social Sciences     282

1.3. Scientific and Popular Science Publications in Engineering and Technology  282

    1. Periodic Reports on the Book Market           285
  2. Other Topics Related to the Supervision of the Word      291

 

PART THREE. “CAMERA CENSORICA.” WHAT ELSE WAS DISCUSSED IN THE BULLETINS? 307

  1. Other Problems Raised in the Bulletins 309
  2. Before the Proper Summary, or… the Censor as an Artist: The Literary Work of the Functionaries of “Mysia Street and Its Environs”   325

 

SUMMARY     329

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS        333

 

INDEX OF FIGURES AND TABLES    335

 

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS     339

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY         341

Subject literature            341

List of Authors and Works Documented in the Bulletins for Censors from 1945–1956 (Selection)             342

List of the Bulletins for Censors and Biblioteczki Biuletynu Informacyjno-Instrukcyjnego GUKPPiW            347

Literary Texts, Journalism (Literary and Film Criticism, Interviews, etc.), Made Before 1945      350

Literary Texts, Journalism (Literary and Film Criticism, Interviews, etc.), Radio Programs and Films Made Between 1945–1956      350

Literary Texts, Journalism (Literary and Film Criticism, Interviews, etc.), Radio Programs and Films Made Between 1957–1990      355

Literary Texts, Journalism (Literary and Film Criticism, Interviews, etc.), Radio Programs and Films Made After 1990        356

Scholarly and Popular Science Texts          358

Other Archival Sources  370

Electronic Sources          371

Legal Acts         371

Author’s e-mail correspondence   372

  • Title: Censorship of Literature in Post-War Poland: In Light of the Confidential Bulletins for Censors from 1945 to 1956
  • Author: Anna Wiśniewska-Grabarczyk
  • ISBN: 978-83-8220-939-6, 9788382209396
  • Date of issue: 2022-12-19
  • Format: Ebook
  • Item ID: e_30rw
  • Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego