3 November 2009 A great revision of Polish literature

Several hundred people witnessed the heated debate on the 20th c. Polish literature that took place today. Prof. Michał Paweł Markowski and the invited guests, Inga Iwasiów, Anna Nasiłowska and Piotr Śliwiński, who are renowned literary scholars, tried together to establish the basis for a new literary canon.

The idea central to this debate was "revision", i.e. revaluation of the existent literary hierarchies and the accompanying aesthetical, ethical and political values. Following Witold Gombrowicz's proposition from the first volume of his Diary, prof. Markowski suggested that this revision should be implemented with "the coldest unceremoniousness". Unceremoniousness was also a quality of the debate, but it certainly was not "cold": the fiery disputes of the panelists frequently provoked bursts of applause from the audience.