Krall, Oszajca, Zadura. Meet outstanding writers

We invite our visitors to meetings with Polish writers - Father Wacław Oszajca, Bohdan Zadura, and Hanna Krall, as part of "The Light of Literature" series. You will be offered the possibility not only to listen to fragments of their works, but also to find out why they are not afraid to pose key questions of our times in their work.

A meeting with Father Wacław Oszajca - a catholic priest and Jesuit, will take place on 27 April at 6:00 p.m. at the Palace on the Isle. Past and present works of the poet will be read out by Daniel Olbrychski. Father Oszajca will be introduced by Sergiusz Sterna-Wachowiak.

The Jesuit will be asked not only about the sources of his remarkable lyric poetry, but also about his attitude towards the complicated relations between sacrum and profanum in the contemporary world. Does such a distinction still make sense at the turn of the centuries, or is it the full openness toward the corporeal tragedy of the human beings which is sanctified?

The next guest of the Royal Łazienki, on 25 May (6:00 p.m., the Palace on the Isle), will be Bohdan Zadura - a poet, prose writer, and translator. The writer will present his poems to the audience, and the host of the meeting will try to persuade him to reveal the secrets of artistic craft and share his views about the state of the contemporary world.

Works of Bohdan Zadura have had an undisputed impact on the rejuvenation of the language of lyric poetry owing to his special way of grasping the relationship between colloquial and poetic language. His poetry is part of an intimate conversation with the reader - not a lyrical monologue. According to the writer, common language is absolutely superior to the homogeneous language of literature.

The next meeting with a figure of Polish literature - Hanna Krall, will take place on 29 June (6:00 p.m., at the Palace on the Isle). We will hear fragments of the author’s excellent works, which surpass the boundaries of reportage, and have evidently artistic features. The conversation with the outstanding reporter will be conducted by her student - the essayist Mariusz Szczygieł. Topics will include the relation between reporting, literature, and life.

"The Light of Literature” series, which will feature meetings with outstanding writers, is organised by the Royal Łazienki and the Eastern Foundation For Culture Akcent. The project, which will be coordinated by Doctor Bogusław Wróblewski – the editor-in-chief of Akcent, references the series of lectures entitled "The Enlightenment Republic of Rulers" and "The Enlightenment Republic of Dreams", and is a reflection on the contemporary times - as a response to the reflection on history.

The writers presented to the audience have the necessary courage to pose vital questions for our times in their works, and responsible enough to avoid ready and explicit answers.

During the Enlightenment, literature had a decisive impact on the character of this historic era by shaping the awareness of leaders who were able to direct societal life on new tracks. Is this possible today? Can we still trust literature at the turn of centuries, after the postmodern discourse has been exhausted, and in the face of heavy dangers? All of the above will be discussed by the guests of "The Light of Literature” series.