About the Lost Opportunity. A Substitute for the Year of Józef Mackiewicz.
As the year draws to a close, much can be said about it, but little of it is good. The full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine and the escalating crisis effectively encapsulated 2022. If one were to find anything genuinely positive in it, it’s the relief that it’s finally ending. But from the shadows, one genuinely positive thing is worth highlighting – it was the Year of Józef Mackiewicz.
For a relatively small group of enthusiasts, experts and “friends of Mackiewicz’s work” the fact, that the Sejm almost unanimously decided in October 2021 to declare the following year as the year of the writer, came as a surprise. Although his name often arises in journalistic debates conducted in traditional, electronic, and social media, it is more frequently utilized as a certain lockpick.
Still the truth, the truth …
“The truth alone is interesting” – these words, considered the writer’s life motto, are eagerly echoed. He also serves as a shield and sword in the (increasingly rare) battles concerning the legacy of communism. Whenever someone aims to take an uncompromising stance, they often invoke everything that Mackiewicz is commonly associated with: anti-communism (“zoological” as Adam Michnik once said), unyielding character or dissent against the surrounding reality presented by the writer, whose life was shaped by experiences spanning almost the entire 20th century (1902-1985). However, these are often just labels and epithets.
Sometimes, Mackiewicz the writer resurfaces, along with his novels, long-awaited film adaptations, or even “National Reading” events. Persistent enthusiasts, like the Krakow-based writer Paweł Chojnacki, delve into yet another continuously published volumes of Mackiewicz’s works – letters and writings – and tenaciously promote them to friendly editorial offices and the few media outlets that “feel compelled” to take notice.
Let’s admit – it’s not much. Therefore, the “Year of Mackiewicz” itself must also be considered a missed opportunity, where yes, there were discussions, panels, conferences, and even a “substitute film” about the writer’s relationship with his wife, but Mackiewicz himself did not resonate with wider awareness. We did not see the monument that had been called for multiple times since 1989: Perhaps this comparison is not the most fitting, but it arises powerfully in free Poland – due to many circles, Józef Mackiewicz shares the fate of lustrations. Even in death, he poses a threat to the living as he bears witness to their intellectual decline and moral depravity – wrote the late Maciej Rybiński at one point.
Something has changed, however, in one aspect – no.
There are many reasons for this situation. One might argue that “his novels are difficult” or “his journalism is archaic” and Poles nowadays only read literature suitable for mass consumption, recommended by algorithms on social media or seen on screens and posters at tram stops. There might be some truth in that. However, it’s hard to accept that the “Year of Mackiewicz” failed to extend beyond important but insular or poorly executed initiatives. It failed to resonate.
The Sejm did its part
I will provide an example: In 2021, the centenary of Stanisław Lem’s birth occurred, and his “Year” took place. On this occasion, there were at least several dozen popularizing events aimed at commemorating the figure and work of the writer. These events included a literary competition for youth, café meetings discussing “Stanisław Lem – progressive or conservative?” where the “Lem-esque vision of science, technology, and progress” was outlined. There were also book cover competitions, a project dedicated to Lem called “Lem’s Planetarium” – a tour of an entertainment-educational theme park inspired by the writer’s work. Additionally, there were murals, workshops, a dedicated phone app for the writer, and even a theatrical performance and the construction of “Robot Tales” from LEGO bricks.
Of course, I understand the differences in the reception of both writers, their life stories, recognizability, and how the work of the author of “Return from the Stars” differed from the work of the author of “Road to Nowhere.” Though I acknowledge the interpretive potential of these realms and realize that it’s not practical to invite children to construct pre-war borderland towns and horse markets – characters from Mackiewicz’s early journalism – out of LEGO blocks (although, why not?).
However, I do have a certain grievance against the initiators of the “Year of Mackiewicz,” the politicians and ministers. It was primarily their responsibility to elevate the writer beyond the circle of nods and debates about whether he was “more Polish or anti-communist”. Yet, it seems that after the initial vote, not much else was done, perhaps assuming that the matter would take care of itself. Well, it didn’t.
Our He is
It’s worth noting the dispute in Konin, where a municipal councillor criticized the local library for organizing an exhibition about Mackiewicz, arguing that “promoting a figure like Mackiewicz should not be limited to just exhibitions”. In his opinion “active promotion of reading must reach the residents of Konin”. However all that happened were a few needed but modest exhibitions, some publications, conferences, flowers laid at Mackiewicz’s London grave, and ritual discussions about how “the truth alone is interesting”. Mackiewicz himself remained largely absent from the broader consciousness. In a post-truth world, truth alone cannot defend itself.
And the writer Sebastian Reńca is also mistaken when he writes in “Dziennik Zachodni” that “maybe it was for the best” that Mackiewicz did not reach the mainstream: “Mackiewicz is still a writer for the insiders. Whoever appreciates his pen will forever be an admirer of the writer. Whoever hates him will not change their mind” he says with the superiority typical of insiders.
What’s most surprising, Reńca even seems to rejoice in the fact that the writer’s works are absent from reading lists (something unimaginable in the eighth year of the rule of people who love to express their anti-communism at every opportunity, and probably half of the Council of Ministers either knows Mackiewicz or at least has his works on their shelves).
So Reńca writes:
“Let’s imagine that Józef Mackiewicz was included in the reading list for high school students. I can already hear the clamour of “patriots” from various sides, from right to left. From the right, we would hear that Mackiewicz promoted lesbian love in the novel “Careerist”, insulted cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, pope John Paul II (“The Pope clearly opts for reconciling the world with international communism. I opt for the fight. A rather fundamental difference”), the Home Army, Józef Piłsudski, and even the Endecja movement was criticized by the writer. The left side would repeat the idiocies about Mackiewicz collaborating with the Germans during the occupation and being a “zoological anti-communist” throughout his life (Adam Michnik)”.
Oh yes, God forbid anyone start talking about Mackiewicz outside the “enchanted circle.” To become a well-known, discussed or even “controversial” writer (which, as we know, does not help writers and their works). So let him lie in a silver casket of innocent souvenirs, available only to a few dozen aging (unfortunately) experts, journalists, and those who, by some winding path, happen to come across “The Road to Nowhere”.
It is this snobbery and exclusivity that make connoisseurs of Mackiewicz, and those who aspire to them, prefer to attend conferences with homeopathic attendance and burn in debates about the same thing, rather than, for example, propose that a spectacular mural with a character from “Kontra” (even like the one at Plac Trzech Krzyży depicting Leopold Tyrmand’ “Zły”) appear in the centre of Warsaw (or another city). Or to organize cooking, as was done in the Year of Lem, dishes eaten on the pages of the novel “The Birdcatcher from Vilnius”. These wouldn’t be dishes from other planets, but from the Borderlands? Well, for young people, these are equally distant lands, who knows, maybe just as fascinating?
And where are the mentioned art contests? Theatre productions? Where is the adaptation of “No Need to Speak Loudly”, whose potential is truly Hollywood-worthy, to use a well-worn phrase? “Every novel is a chance to create a global film” said Robert Kaczmarek, the director of the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute, during a discussion after the premiere screening of “Black Ceiling”, the aforementioned film substitute. If it’s such an opportunity, why aren’t they being pursued? What’s blocking you, gentlemen and ladies?
Writer (only) for (few) adults
Well, I can’t help but feel that there is a certain purposefulness in the fact that the mentioned Reńca expresses the will of a large part of these few “owners of Mackiewicz”. The writer is to remain a “writer for adults”, as the late Grzegorz Eberhardt called him, and for those adults who claim exclusivity to him. This happens, of course, with the silent consent of those who desire nothing more than for the dangerous thought (“beat the Bolsheviks – save free thought” JM) to remain unknown to the general public as the eccentricity of zealots.
I want to avoid any misunderstanding – Józef Mackiewicz and his legacy have persisted and still persist primarily thanks to a small group of enthusiasts. As often happens in such cases, there was an air of initiation, a certain symbolic code, leading to local disputes (according to the principle that the smaller the community, the more disputes). Nevertheless, the efforts made have been immense; the Polish right-wing ensured that Mackiewicz was not completely forgotten and consigned to the narrative of “Salon III RP”. However, for some reason, this same right-wing prevented Mackiewicz from reaching the Polish people in his commemorative year. I don’t know whether this was due to an inability to break free from the patterns that confined encounters with the writer to discussions in unpopular cafes or to closed conferences that were not broadcasted online, or for some other reason. Even the IPN (Institute of National Remembrance) overlooked this opportunity, despite its president, Dr. Karol Nawrocki, grandly announcing “a new opening”, “new technologies” and “new quality”.
Year Not Verdict
Because for some reason, Mackiewicz was missing from the pedestal, streets, parks, or from the displays behind the Old Town monuments with the mapping method descriptions and illustrations of nature from “Bunt Rojstów”. These descriptions, as Katarzyna Błażewska, a researcher of Mackiewicz’s work, mentioned on Polish Radio. – It’s a romantic vision of nature, known for example from “Pan Tadeusz”. On one hand, Mackiewicz continues this thought, but on the other hand, he shows that regardless of the era, nature is threatened by humans. Outdated?
There were possibilities. For example, the “Patrons of 2022” program of the LOTTO Foundation named after Halina Konopacka, where the grants for projects commemorating any (!) of year patrons could range from 1000 to 30 000 zł. Unfortunately, among the results there is no project dedicated to Mackiewicz (for comparison – Ignacy Łukasiewicz had as many as five). And yet, in the world of “narrative pluralism” and informational noise, content and ideas need a catalyst. In the age of Twitter, TikTok, algorithms, and artificial intelligence, few people consciously reach for Józef Mackiewicz’s work, and this year has shown that.
Politicians did their part and washed their hands; the matter was dealt with and forgotten. The year passed and only the owners can sleep peacefully. With the first edition of “Kontra” under the pillow and the conviction of the Great Initiation.
Wojciech Mucha
Photo credit to Fundacja Wilenszczyzna: Mackiewicz’s summer house in Czarny Bór, which has been under the care of the Vilnius Region Foundation since 2013
The material was created as part of the project “North and South – internationalization of activities of the Republican Foundation” co-financed by NIW-CRSO under the Civil Society Organizations Development Program for the years 2018-2030 (PROO).
