Rocznik Statystyczny 1991,. [Polish Statistics for 1991.] Edited by Bohdan Wyznikiewicz et al. Warszawa. Zaklad Wydawnictw Statystycznych (Al. Niepodleglosci 208, 00-9215 Warszawa). 1991. LX + 596 pages. Numerous graphs and maps. ISNN 0079-2780. Hardcover: zl. 35,000. Paper: zl. 30,000. In Polish.
Finally, some real statistics, and they are fun to read. An indispensable companion for scholars and students dealing with European affairs, but also a handy volume for anyone interested in what is going on in Poland. The present edition has been nearly purged of Soviet-inspired obfuscations and irrelevancies. Our copy was purchased in a Warsaw bookstore, but you might try to send a dollar equivalent directly to the publisher including $5.00 for postage and handling. A forthcoming issue of the SR will deal with information garnered from this volume.
Medieval Literature of Poland: An Anthology,. Translated and edited by Michael J. Mikos. Hamden, CT. (1000A Sherman, Hamden, CT 06514) Garland Publishing. 1992. 286 pages. Illustrations. ISBN 0-8153-0408-0. $37.00.
Contains a selection of translated works of Polish literature from its beginnings to the 15th century. Many of the selections have never before been translated. Each text is introduced by a short preface and accompanied by footnotes. There are eight sections: Chronicles, Religious Poetry and Prose, Secular Poetry and Prose, Secular and Religious Poetry and Prose in Latin. A review to appear in a forthcoming issue of the SR.
Znaki Czasu,. A Quarterly edited by the Rev. Henryk Witczyk. No. 20 (October-December 1990). 224 pages. $25.00 yearly postpaid, surface mail. Editorial offices: 00193 Rome, via Clementi 51. In Polish.
An attempt to create a conservative version of the leftward-looking Paris Kultura. The issue we received contains writings by Zygmunt Krasinski, an excellent essay on the "abolition of man" by Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, Professor Piotr Wandycz's study of the Polish-Czechoslovak relations in WW2, and Richard Lukas' study of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, as well as materials relating to the Catholic Church. Some of this has been reprinted from elsewhere, yet no sources are given. There is also a whiff of clericalism in the enterprise. On the whole, a worthy undertaking, and the low price makes it attractive to subscribe.
The Other Europe: Eastern Europe to 1945, by E. Garrison Walters. Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse University Press (Syracuse, N.Y. 13244-5160). 1988. 13 + 430 pages. Maps, Bibliography, Index. Paper. $17.50.
A concise undergraduate history of the region, with a breakdown into countries when deemed necessary. The emphasis is on the post-World War I period, and pre-1800 history is treated very sketchily indeed. Still, a welcome addition to textbooks suitable for east European courses.. Many valuable items in Bibliography.
Economic Reform in Poland: The Aftermath of Martial Law, 1981-1988. Edited by David M. Kemme. Russian and East European Studies, Vol. 1. Greenwich, CT. JAI Press (55 Old Post Road No. 2, P.O.Box 1678, Greenwich, CT 06836). 1991. 278 pages. Hardcover. $63.50.
A collection of fifteen essays by American and Polish scholars on monetary and banking problems, Poland's trade with West and East, foreign indebtedness, Polish and Hungarian reforms, Russian-East European economic relations, and options for U.S. policy. While some of this has been outpaced by events, much is still relevant. A serious scholarly study by the leading specialists. A review in the SR to follow.
Zustrichi. A quarterly of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland. Edited by Miroslaw Czech. No. 1(7) 1991. 213 pages. Warsaw. Editorial offices: 00-18 Warsaw, ul. Czerniakowska 73/79. No subscription price given. In Polish.
A handsomely crafted journal resembling Res Publica in format. The editor says that the Polish Ministry of Culture partially subsidizes it. The quarterly seems to have two editions, in Polish and in Ukrainian, and the contents seem to be different. Or so the backpage says. The present issue contains articles by Ukrainians and Russians concerning the relations between these two nations. We are happy and proud that Polish Ukrainians have so handsome a publication and that the Polish Ministry of Culture, strained for funds as it is, subsidizes it nevertheless. And incidentally, we are familiar with a Polish equivalent of this type of organization in Lviv: the Society of Polish Culture in the Lviv Region [Towarzystwo Kultury Polskiej Ziemi Lwowskiejo, and we note that it carefully avoids calling itself "Poles in Ukraine." Shouldn't the Union of Ukrainians in Poland [Zwiazek Ukraincow w Polsce] similarly adopt a friendlier name?
The Polish Campaign 1939, by Steven Zaloga and Victor Madej. New York. Hippocrene Books (171 Madison Avenue, NY., N.Y. 10016), 1992. 195 pages. Photographs, Appendices, and Bibliography, but no Index. Paper. $11.95.
The authors argue that the September 1939 German and Soviet campaigns in Poland have been ignored by historians for ideological reasons, as well as distorted by myths claiming that the brave but unwise Poles attacked tanks with cavalry. The authors endeavor to set the record straight and offer a detailed account of the German campaign. However, their book is marred by numerous slight mistakes in grammar and idiom. The authors are obviously nonnative English speakers, and their book should have been copy-edited. The designer of the book cover deserves a Dead Carp Award, perhaps unwittingly perpetuating the very myths the authors try to discredit. The cover features a detachment of Polish cavalry against a background of blurred names of Polish cities which only a person well versed in Polish history can decipher.
Sylwetki polskie w Ameryce Lacinskiej w XIX i XX wieku: uczeni, literaci, artysci, kler i wojskowi. [Poles in 19th and 20th Century Latin America: scholars, writers, artists, clergy and military men.] Edited by E.S. Urbanski. 2 vols. Stevens Point, WI: Artex Publishing. 1991. 256 + 242 pages. Paper. $32.50 postpaid. In Polish.
Contains the names and biographies (in alphabetical order) of 150 Polish achievers in Latin America. The authors are scholars of Polish background scattered around the western hemisphere. No addresses of the living persons are provided. We missed in the title the designation "engineers," especially that one of the persons featured, Mr. Tadeusz Burzynski, is a Sarmatian Review subscriber and an engineer.
Poland Today A monthly published by the Polish Information Agency, ul. Bagatela 12, 00-585 Warsaw, Poland. Tel. 814-481. Fax 628-4651. 34 pages. No subscription price given.
We received the January 1991 issue. It features illustrated articles on economics (including a sympathetic vignette of Leszek Balcerowicz), heritage, soul-searching and related matters. A lingering presence of the old apparatchik style can still be perceived ("Give the masses a dose of eroticism to keep them satisfied..."). Handsomely published on glossy paper.
EMILY'S YEAR By Charles Merrill. San Diego, California. MHO & MHO Works. l99l. l89 pages. Adolescent fiction.
LaVina Armstrong
The real strengths of this book are the presentation of the Morawski family and Emily's relationship with her gymnastic students. When she needs courage to rescue baby Sophie or to rid herself of an obligation to a Republican candidate (the Morawskis vote Democrat), she finds it in herself and her familyŐs support. Merrill's humor generally appears when describing the family or in their conversations as in this discussion of politics: "'They won't vote for Morawski when Emily runs?' Sooli demanded loyally. 'She's too short,' Alex said. 'Short people have the right to be represented in politics.' 'I could stand on a box.'" When Emily falls in her gymnastic competition her grandmother comforts her in Polish because "for defeat there is only one language." As Emily leads a group of ninth graders from being "overfed woodchucks" to "graceful panthers," she provides the girls with confidence and some resiliency in a town where defeat is a common occurrence.
Emily seems to have answers to most of the problems shortly after she started asking questions, and this does not always sound convincing. She also faces each problem with an equal amount of passion, so no single resolution stands out as climactic.
Merrill is enjoyable to read, although some descriptions, overflowing with information, read awkwardly. His good humor and expression of family warmth (without sounding hokey) keep the tone of this novel upbeat despite the grim background of Brainard. He includes some Polish in the book (all of it translated) as well as a guide to pronunciation at the back. While the emphasis of the novel is on Emily and the myriad decisions she makes throughout her senior year, Merrill provides insight into a Polish American family that has strong ties to the "old" country and its values and traditions.
LaVina Armstrong is a recent University of Texas graduate and a budding writer of adolescent fiction.
Emily Morawski has no time to be a self-absorbed teenager. Rescuing a baby from a well creates a variety of opportunities and problems for Emily and her family. She also confronts the issues surrounding Reaganomics, unemployment, Nicaragua, racism and euthanasia. These issues all help to build an image of life in Brainard, a dying industrial town, as well as a young personŐs growing awareness of life beyond the familiar arena.