Polish non-fiction author Wojciech Tochman was invited by Polish Institute to participate at the Long Night of Literatures 2024 in Kolkata and Delhi.

The Long Night of Literatures returned for the second time in Kolkata, with renowned authors from ten European countries presenting their works. At this evening-long event on 24th September at Alliance Française du Bengale, Kolkata, and Goethe-Institut, Kolkata writers from France, Germany, Italy, Wales (UK), Switzerland, Portugal, Malta, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia were reading from their chosen work of literature and interacting with the audience. Mr. Tochman shared his experiences and thoughts about Polish literature and journalism.

Prior to the main event Mr. Tochman had an opportunity to explore the streets of Kolkata and visit the Jadavpur University in Kolkata where he spoke about his works, interests and engaged with the students through questions and answers.

 In Delhi Polish reporter had a conversation with the students on 26th September 2024 at the University of Delhi, Faculty of Arts. The theme of the panel discussion was “Crisis 2024: Challenges and Choices today in Europe”, where Mr. Tochman discussed literature, as a reflection of society, that has the potential to serve as a powerful instrument for addressing contemporary concerns. He marked that writers and authors can harness the transformative power of storytelling to articulate the complexities of the human experience amidst crises. By weaving narratives that capture the essence of resilience, empathy, and societal upheaval, literature has the capacity to offer solace, provoke introspection, and foster a deeper understanding of the challenges confronting Europe today.

During the session, he also mentioned about his experiences from his visit to Bucza, a small town outside of Kyiv.

“I spoke to the mother of a young Ukrainian volunteer who was killed by the Russians. This happened right in front of the gate of the house where his mother was waiting for him. She told me a week ago: I pray to God, and I ask him that if he doesn’t want to take me away from here yet, he should at least take away my mind.

These are my professional choices today. But also my responsibilities as a human being: to write down her sentences, to make a record of her despair and to write about this evil that cannot remain unnoticed.”

Later that day Mr. Tochman along with authors Sholeh Rezazadeh (EU Delegation) and Sameer Rawal (Spain) attended meeting with Mr. Abhay K. , an Indian poet-diplomat, anthologist, who currently serves as the Deputy Director General of the Indian Council For Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Long Night of Literatures took place at 5 pm on 27th September at the Instituto Cervantes in New Delhi. Audience listened to several authors throughout the course of the evening. Each author read to an audience of about 20 people for 20 minutes. Then the audience moved on to the next room to listen to another author. This concept allowed the audience a very intimate space and personal interaction with authors from 12 European countries.

The Long Night of Literatures was a joint event of Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi, Alliance Francaise de Delhi, Institut Franςais en Inde, Pro Helvetia New Delhi, Embassy of Switzerland, Instituto Cervantes New Delhi, Camões-Portuguese Embassy Cultural Centre, Austrian Embassy, Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Delhi, Embassy of Czech Republic, Polish Institute New Delhi, British Council, Ukraine Cultural Institute, Embassy of Slovenia and EU Delegation in India.

About author:

Wojciech Tochman is a prominent voice of Polish literature and the architects of the new Polish school of journalism that advocates using literature to narrate reality. His trilogy on the consequences of genocide (Bosna Hercegovina, Rwanda, Cambodia) has earned him international acclaim, and his work has been published in fourteen countries. In 2015 he was awarded the Pen of Hope by Amnesty International for his commitment to human rights advocacy. He won the Kapuscinski Prize in 2016 (in Rome) and has been two-time finalist the Nike Literary Award.

Since the early 2000s, Wojciech Tochman has built a significant body of work that explores the darkest aspects of human nature. He is the author of a trilogy dedicated to the consequences of genocides: “Like Eating a Stone” (2005) on Bosnia, “Today We’re Going to Draw Death” (2010) about Rwanda, and “Roosters Crow, Dogs Cry” (2019) on Cambodia. “Like Eating a Stone” has been published in fourteen countries, most recently in Ukraine (2023). These three titles together have sold nearly 100,000 copies in Poland, where his work is published by the prestigious publishing house Wydawnictwo Literackie.