Spiritual portraits of the authors of the Parisian “Kultura” | meeting with Łukasz Marcińczak

About

What did Czesław Miłosz, Witold Gombrowicz, Józef Czapski and Gustaw Herling-Grudziński have in common apart from belonging to the Parisian “Kultura” circle? Łukasz Marcińczak examined their work and biographies through the lens of spiritual and existential quests. The author will talk about his book “Odyseusze z Maisons-Laffitte. Duchowe portrety autorów »Kultury« paryskiej” on September 27 during the Lublin Book Fair.

The book is a collection of 10 literary essays devoted to authors associated with the Parisian “Kultura”. Its subjects include poets Czesław Miłosz and Wacław Iwaniuk, essayists Jeleński and Stempowski, diarists Czapski and Herling-Grudziński, playwright Gombrowicz, novelist Czarnyszewicz, and Andrzej Bobkowski, author of the celebrated “Szkice piórkiem”. They are all united by a common idea – that of a journal serving as the intellectual centre of Polish emigration in the second half of the 20th century – and all proved to be outstanding figures in the history of 20th-century Polish literature.

This publication deepens our understanding of the phenomenon of the “Kultura” circle by presenting portraits of its principal figures in their spiritual dimension – not only in relation to fundamental issues of collective life, but above all by exploring the individual existential and, often, metaphysical quests of each of them. The search for a personal meaning in life opens up a new perspective on how we perceive the works and attitudes of people who continue to shape our present.

The meeting will be hosted by Maciej Wodziński.

The book “Odyseusze z Maisons-Laffitte. Duchowe portrety autorów »Kultury« paryskiej” was published by Wydawnictwo Warsztaty Kultury. It can be purchased for 35 zł on the publisher’s website.

Details

When: September 27, 2026 (Sunday), 13:00
Where: Targi Lublin, Dworcowa 11, Pavilion Stage
Admission: tickets required, more information on the Lubelskie Targi Książki website

Participants

Łukasz Marcińczak – born in 1971 in Łódź. A graduate of philosophy at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, he holds a PhD in philosophy and edited “AS UMCS”, the journal of the UMCS Alumni Association. Since 2006, he has been a regular contributor to “Akcent”, where he publishes essays, reviews and studies on writers associated with the Parisian “Kultura” as well as on the multicultural past of Lublin and the Lublin region. He has also published in “Colloquia Communia”, “Gazeta Wyborcza” and “Magyar Napló” (Budapest). H