Mackiewicz’s translations and books in Poland
Mackiewicz was very keen on publishing his books in translations into other languages. He strove to find suitable publishers and translators (he financed several translations from his savings), asked his friends for recommendations, corresponded with translators, and proofread translations of his works into other languages (German).
In the times of the People’s Republic of Poland, Józef Mackiewicz’s works were banned and almost inaccessible. This was to some extent changed only by the development of second-circulation publishing houses. Normally, Mackiewicz’s works in Poland began to appear only after the abolition of censorship.
At the beginning of 1993, the publishing house “Kontra” began publishing Mackiewicz’s works and selling them in Poland. In 1993, the “Kontra” publishing house commissioned the Polish Library Aid Foundation to promote Mackiewicz’s books. As part of the promotional campaign, the Foundation sent out advertising leaflets to libraries and book wholesalers. When the Foundation ceased to promote Mackiewicz’s books, the “Kontra” publishing house published advertisements in daily newspapers (including Rzeczpospolita) and weekly magazines (such as Tygodnik Powszechny and Gazeta Polska). In 1993 and 1994, many meetings were held to promote the first volumes of this edition. Today, the last of the published volumes of Works by Józef Mackiewicz is number 18 (individual volumes, however, were not published sequentially).
Mackiewicz’s books were also presented many times at the international (in Frankfurt) and national Book Fair in Warsaw and at the Book Fair in Krakow. In 1997, a nationwide distributor was BDM (Biuro Dystrybucyjno-Marketingowe), which cooperates with about fifteen other wholesalers (in Warsaw you can find a complete set of Mackiewicz’s works, for example, in the Diso warehouse). In the years 1997-2006, i.e. in the period when BDM dealt with the distribution of Mackiewicz’s books, their sale was conducted by a total of over 40 wholesalers from all over Poland (including the nationwide Matras wholesale and book chain, Azymut wholesale, Firma Księgarska J Olesiejuk and a number of others), as well as online and mail-order bookstores and the number of bookstores or Empik stores that is difficult to determine.
Today, much attention is paid to publishing not only Mackiewicz’s works, but also reflecting on the writer’s work, his biography and the secrets of his extraordinary life.
W. Bolewicz „Ptasznik z Wilna. O Józefie Mackiewiczu. Zarys monograficzny”, 2013
Translated by Joanna Zawalska
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