RELATED EVENT:
Locomotive Workshop at ELCAF 2015
Sunday 21 June, 3:30-5:30pm


The Locomotive, by Julian Tuwim, is one the most famous Polish poems for children. Designer Małgorzata Gurowska and journalist Joanna Ruszczyk present its graphic and literary reinterpretation for adults.

Tuwim’s poem stimulates the imagination with a description of contents in wagons of a train sitting at a station. Although the poet is remembered today primarily as the author of poetry for children, he is also renowned as a satirist who critically described the socio-political reality of his time.

Gurowska and Ruszczyk, in The Locomotive/IDEOLO, make reference to Tuwim’s social awareness and frequently uncompromising stance, using his text as a scaffolding for their own account of our times. The railway wagons are full of Jews, aggressive football fans, soldiers, gays and lesbians, animals, and various inanimate objects. Accompanied by political commentary, it puts a mirror to the inequality and social injustice we experience today. The book asks difficult questions about national identity, racism, anti-Semitism, and attitudes towards ecology and animals.

Locomotive / IDEOLO
By Małgorzata Gurowska, Joanna Ruszczyk, Julian Tuwim
Published by Centrala
Language: bilingual English & Polish
Publication date: 22 June 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9929082-7-0
Recommended Age: 9+
Price: £25.60
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