Publications found after years or the immortality of Mackiewicz’s work

30-12-2023 Łukasz Czunkiewicz

One of the distinguishing elements of Józef Mackiewicz is the fact that his new books are still being published. Although they are not published in the same way as in the past, they are the result of the hard work, effort and energy of a small group of…

One of the distinguishing elements of Józef Mackiewicz is the fact that his new books are still being published. Although they are not published in the same way as in the past, they are the result of the hard work, effort and energy of a small group of people.

The most important person in this process is Nina Karsov from London, heir to the copyrights of Józef Mackiewicz and Barbara Toporska, who is the publisher of these works. Michał Bąkowski collaborates with her and selects the texts. Usually, these are publications found years later in pre-war and war periodicals from which new titles are compiled. Such a description could be heard in the broadcast of Program 3 of the Polish Radio.

Nowadays, readers have access to a variety of texts written by Józef Mackiewicz, including journalistic works, letters and belles-lettres. In 2015, a volume of short stories and a novel appeared, which are part of the current of fiction focusing on the past, before the revolution and the first periods of crisis in the knightly tradition. These are short stories and historical reports focusing on topics related to the First World War.

Józef Mackiewicz is an unforgettable writer, as evidenced not only by the new editions of his books and constantly rediscovered novels, but also by the interest he evokes in society.

For this reason, the year 2022 was dedicated to the figure of the writer Józef Mackiewicz. The resolution stated that “the Sejm of the Republic of Poland on the centenary of the birth of the outstanding writer – recognizing the greatness of his achievements persistently supporting the ideas of: Polish independence, freedom and friendly coexistence of the nations of Central and Eastern Europe and steadfast resistance against communism, and the universal values of his literary prose”.

So why do Mackiewicz’s books see the light of day for the first time only in the 21st century? The point is that his fate was determined not because of his anti-communist views, but because of his experiences. As a witness to the Katyn massacre and the massacre of the Jewish population in Ponary by the Germans, he was considered by the special services of the Soviet empire to be a very important enemy. As a result, most of his novels never saw the light of day during his lifetime. On the other hand, he is an important historical prose writer insofar as nowadays his prose takes on a different, significant meaning.