POLISH LITERATURE
IN
ENGLISH TRANSLATION

I hope that the following pages will open the door to works that will provide great pleasure and a stronger appreciation of the power of Polish literature--and for those authors listed here for whose works English translations aren't currently available in some manner, I hope that we find that situation changing within the near future.

Alphabetical Listing of Authors
	Medieval Literature		19th Century Literature
	16th Century Literature		Turn of the Century Literature (19th-20th)
	17th Century Literature		20th Century Literature (to 1980)
	18th Century Literature		Contemporary Literature (Main Page) **

PURPOSE OF THIS SITE

The treasure-house that is Polish literature is more accessible to English-language readers than many may think. In addition to English translations of the most famous works--works with which Polish literature has tended to be identified--there are many translations of works by far less famous authors. These translations, while often available in print format, are increasingly accessible through the World Wide Web.

My goal in creating this website is to provide as comprehensive a list as possible of works that are currently available through the Web and that are or that until recently have been in print in book format.

For those works available on the Web, this site's subpages provide links to English translations of entire works or excerpts of works. A word of caution, though: I've tried to make available the great number and variety of Web translations, which means that I've chosen not to judge the quality of those translations. While some variations are due to the fact that translation is as much of an art as is the original literary writing, others may be due to language mistakes, typographical errors, and/or less than meticulous editing. Therefore, while one of the marvelous advantages of the Web is that availability of translations of Polish literature are far less dependent on profit-motive, one of its drawbacks is the reduction in the amount and potential quality of editing.

For those translations of Polish works in book format, the site provides bibliographic information; I've chosen not to link to vendors in order not to privilege one over another, and because sometimes what one vendor identifies as out of print or unavailable may not be so. As much as possible, I've tried to verify the status of printed works by checking multiple sources, including publishers' catalogs. However, since I've surely missed works or authors, I invite corrections and additions (see my e-mail address at the bottom of this page).

Regarding works that are published in periodicals: I've included online periodicals as well as print periodicals that also publish online versions. However--and regrettably--at this point I'm not able to include any works published by periodicals only in print format.

Finally, many pieces of Polish literature were translated into English in years past. Although no longer in print, they're still accessible through libraries, whether in one's own local library or obtainable through InterLibrary Loan. In a future version of this website, I hope to add to the list by including books available only through libraries.

This logical question actually consists of two issues: What constitutes 'literature'? and Which authors (or works) qualify as 'Polish'? Because there is some variation in how "literature" is defined, and because the issue of who is "Polish" is one that could be hotly contested, there may be some disagreements both among browsers of this list and between browsers and me about the appropriate solutions to these issues. I welcome productive and enlightening discussion that would improve the site. At this point, though, I'll explain my rationale for the inclusions and exclusions in the list's current incarnation:

Along with the prose fiction, playscripts, and poems that represent the three primary genres of writing that have tended to be identified with "literature" over the past two centuries, I've included letters, diaries, and personal essays, both by people with an established literary reputation and by those who didn't necessarily intend their writing for publication. The 1791 Constitution, as well as the lyrics to major patriotic and religious hymns and songs, are also on the list; however, at this point scientific or philosophical treatises are not.

In addition, since I've included audio sources (readings) of works (such as audio versions of Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis), I found it reasonable also to list available cinematic versions of literary works that offer English subtitles.

Categorizations of "national literatures" are marked by very fuzzy boundaries and gray areas. Particularly given the fluidity of Polish borders and the 120-year non-existence of a Polish political state, this issue has been more difficult for me to resolve with any level of satisfaction, particularly in terms of these questions:

• Does somebody who was born in what was pre-war Poland but what is now Lithuania, Belarus, or the Ukraine "count" as "Polish"?
• Is it the precise origin of the author that counts, or the language in which she/he writes?
• What if an author starts to write in Polish, then continues writing his/her works in another language?
• Can an author be an expatriate--especially for reasons other than political, ethnic, or religious issues--and still be considered "Polish"?
• Can Polish literature include the same author or work claimed by another national literature?

At this point, I've decided to restrict the list to authors who were born in what was considered Polish national or cultural territory at the time of their birth AND who--except for pre-17th century authors writing in Latin--wrote at least some of their works in the Polish language. This decision has resulted in the current exclusion of authors who I intend to re-consider when updating this site.

GENERAL ANTHOLOGIES OF POLISH LITERATURE

  Bear Now My Soul: Polish Verse. Trans. & Ed. Noel Clark. London: Veritas Foundation. 2001.

  Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy. Ed. Wiesiek Powaga. Hippocrene. 1997.

  The Glass Mountain: Twenty-Eight Ancient Polish Folktales and Fables. Ed. W. S. Kuniczak. Hippocrene. 1997.

  Polish Treasury of Love Poems. Ed. Mirosław Lipinski. Hippocrene. 1997. Audio.

  Russian and Polish Women's Fiction. Ed. Helena Goscilo. University of Tennessee Press. 1985.

  Selected Polish Tales. Trans. Else Benecke and Marie Busch. World Literature CD. B&R Samizdat Express. Windows-compatible CD-ROM.

  Stranger in Our Midst: Images of the Jew in Polish Literature. Ed. Harold B. Segel. Cornell University Press. 1996.

  Treasury of Polish Love Poems. Vol. 2. Ed. Mirosław Lipinski. Hippocrene. 2003.

  Treasury of Classic Polish Love Stories in Polish and English. Ed. Mirosław Lipinski. New York: Hippocrene. 1997.

  Treasury of Polish Love Poems, Quotations and Proverbs (bilingual). Ed. Mirosław Lipinski. Hippocrene. 1994.

GENERAL POLISH LITERARY HISTORY & CRITICISM