{"id":17704,"date":"2025-07-22T17:18:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T15:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/?p=17704"},"modified":"2025-09-29T16:58:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T14:58:32","slug":"boleslaw-prus-encounters-with-polish-and-ukrainian-literature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/2025\/07\/22\/boleslaw-prus-encounters-with-polish-and-ukrainian-literature\/","title":{"rendered":"Boles\u0142aw Prus \u2013 Encounters with Polish and Ukrainian Literature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S5E8<\/a> and all video recordings are available on our YouTube<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n
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Encounters with Polish and Ukrainian Literature<\/strong> is a video series for anyone interested in literature and the culture of books and reading. Each month, host David A. Goldfarb<\/strong> will present a new topic in conversation with an expert on that author or book or movement in Polish literature. More about the Encounters with Polish and Ukrainian Literature series<\/a><\/strong> and the timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boles\u0142aw Prus <\/strong>(Aleksander G\u0142owacki, 1847-1912), like Charles Dickens in English, is one of the most beloved Polish realist novelists of the nineteenth century. Writers who may seem radically different from Prus, such as Dorota Mas\u0142owska and Olga Tokarczuk have listed Prus among their favorite Polish writers for his vivid characters and transparent descriptive language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prus\u2019s most popular novel, The Doll<\/em> (Lalka<\/em>) is the subject of a film project under the direction of Maciej Kawalski and a Netflix series directed by Pawe\u0142 Ma\u015blona currently in 2025 and was made into a film directed by Wojciech Has in 1968 as well as a television series directed by Ryszard Ber in 1977. His historical novel Pharoah<\/em> appeared in a new English translation by Christopher Kasparek in 2024. The Doll<\/em> is one of the great realist novels of the nineteenth century, addressing many of the characteristic issues of the genre\u2014a man (Stanis\u0142aw Wokulski, a merchant) in possession of a fortune in want of a wife, the relation of the rising middle class to the declining gentry, the objectivism of the late nineteenth century in comparison to the Romantic idealism of the older generation, and the political problem of being in Central Europe between much more powerful neighbors during the time of the Polish partitions. It is also one of the great novels of Warsaw, describing streets and scenes that can still be seen today even after the destruction of World War II and postwar reconstruction of the capital city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A work such as this calls for new readings in every era, so it is no surprise that there should be two new film projects based on the text now, when, for instance, Polish filmmakers can draw attention to elements of the novel that may be perceived as critical of Russia, which was not possible during the Soviet period or even during Prus\u2019s era, as we know from a censored passage from the novel that is published alongside contemporary editions, including the English translation. Ma\u015blona has been criticized for taking more of a feminist approach\u2014though the final film has not even appeared yet\u2014and there is plenty of material in the novel do develop a reading that focuses on the plight of the heroine, Izabela \u0141\u0119cka, and of women in nineteenth-century European society more generally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this episode David Goldfarb, our host, uses Prus\u2019s novel, The Doll<\/em>, to address the crisis in literacy discussed in the media recently, in reaction to the use of AI in the classroom, and in light of the effects of the COVID pandemic on reading practices. Building on his own pre-pandemic experience of teaching his course on the Polish Novel at Barnard College, Columbia University, he offers some suggestions for how to read a big novel like The Doll<\/em>, as a scholar, critic, or student, and applies some of those techniques to the opening chapters and other selected passages of the novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Selected works of Boles\u0142aw Prus in English Translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prus, Boles\u0142aw. \u201cApparitions.\u201d In Warsaw Tales<\/a><\/em>. Selected and tr. Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Ed. Helen Constantine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024. Pgs. 1-13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prus, Boles\u0142aw. The Doll<\/a><\/em>. Tr. David Welsh and revised by Dariusz To\u0142czyk and Anna Zaranko. Introduction by Stanis\u0142aw Bara\u0144czak. New York: NYRB Classics, 2011. (This edition is identical to the 1996 edition from CEU Press, including Bara\u0144czak\u2019s introduction). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prus, Boles\u0142aw. Emancipated Women<\/a><\/em>. Tr. Stephanie Kraft. Amherst, Mass.: Levellers Press, 2015. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prus, Boles\u0142aw. Pharoah<\/a><\/em>. Tr. Christopher Kasparek. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prus, Boles\u0142aw. \u201cThe Sins of Childhood\u201d & Other Stories<\/em><\/a>. Tr. Bill Johnston. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 1996.                                                                                                       <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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David A. Goldfarb, Host & Producer
Bartek Remisko, Curator and Executive Producer
Natalia Iyudin, Producer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Lead image: Sofia Andrukhovych, Image courtesy of Sofia Andrukhovych
Guest photo: Vitaly Chernetsky, Image courtesy of Vitaly Chernetsky<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

S5E8 and all video recordings are available on our YouTube. Encounters with Polish and Ukrainian Literature is a video series for anyone interested in literature and the culture of books and reading. Each month, host David A. 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Encounters with Polish and Ukrainian Literature is a video series for anyone interested in literature and the culture of books and reading. Each month, host David A. 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Each month, host David A. Goldfarb will present a new topic in conversation with an expert on that author or book or movement in Polish literature. More about the Encounters with Polish and Ukrainian Literature series and the timeline.\\nBoles\u0142aw Prus (Aleksander G\u0142owacki, 1847-1912), like Charles Dickens in English, is one of the most beloved Polish realist novelists of the nineteenth century. Writers who may seem radically different from Prus, such as Dorota Mas\u0142owska and Olga Tokarczuk have listed Prus among their favorite Polish writers for his vivid characters and transparent descriptive language.\\nPrus\u2019s most popular novel, The Doll (Lalka) is the subject of a film project under the direction of Maciej Kawalski and a Netflix series directed by Pawe\u0142 Ma\u015blona currently in 2025 and was made into a film directed by Wojciech Has in 1968 as well as a television series directed by Ryszard Ber in 1977. His historical novel Pharoah appeared in a new English translation by Christopher Kasparek in 2024. The Doll is one of the great realist novels of the nineteenth century, addressing many of the characteristic issues of the genre\u2014a man (Stanis\u0142aw Wokulski, a merchant) in possession of a fortune in want of a wife, the relation of the rising middle class to the declining gentry, the objectivism of the late nineteenth century in comparison to the Romantic idealism of the older generation, and the political problem of being in Central Europe between much more powerful neighbors during the time of the Polish partitions. 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Ma\u015blona has been criticized for taking more of a feminist approach\u2014though the final film has not even appeared yet\u2014and there is plenty of material in the novel do develop a reading that focuses on the plight of the heroine, Izabela \u0141\u0119cka, and of women in nineteenth-century European society more generally.\\nIn this episode David Goldfarb, our host, uses Prus\u2019s novel, The Doll, to address the crisis in literacy discussed in the media recently, in reaction to the use of AI in the classroom, and in light of the effects of the COVID pandemic on reading practices. 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Each month, host David A. Goldfarb will present a new topic in conversation with an expert on that author or book or movement in Polish literature. More about the Encounters with Polish and Ukrainian Literature series and the timeline.\nBoles\u0142aw Prus (Aleksander G\u0142owacki, 1847-1912), like Charles Dickens in English, is one of the most beloved Polish realist novelists of the nineteenth century. Writers who may seem radically different from Prus, such as Dorota Mas\u0142owska and Olga Tokarczuk have listed Prus among their favorite Polish writers for his vivid characters and transparent descriptive language.\nPrus\u2019s most popular novel, The Doll (Lalka) is the subject of a film project under the direction of Maciej Kawalski and a Netflix series directed by Pawe\u0142 Ma\u015blona currently in 2025 and was made into a film directed by Wojciech Has in 1968 as well as a television series directed by Ryszard Ber in 1977. His historical novel Pharoah appeared in a new English translation by Christopher Kasparek in 2024. The Doll is one of the great realist novels of the nineteenth century, addressing many of the characteristic issues of the genre\u2014a man (Stanis\u0142aw Wokulski, a merchant) in possession of a fortune in want of a wife, the relation of the rising middle class to the declining gentry, the objectivism of the late nineteenth century in comparison to the Romantic idealism of the older generation, and the political problem of being in Central Europe between much more powerful neighbors during the time of the Polish partitions. It is also one of the great novels of Warsaw, describing streets and scenes that can still be seen today even after the destruction of World War II and postwar reconstruction of the capital city.\nA work such as this calls for new readings in every era, so it is no surprise that there should be two new film projects based on the text now, when, for instance, Polish filmmakers can draw attention to elements of the novel that may be perceived as critical of Russia, which was not possible during the Soviet period or even during Prus\u2019s era, as we know from a censored passage from the novel that is published alongside contemporary editions, including the English translation. Ma\u015blona has been criticized for taking more of a feminist approach\u2014though the final film has not even appeared yet\u2014and there is plenty of material in the novel do develop a reading that focuses on the plight of the heroine, Izabela \u0141\u0119cka, and of women in nineteenth-century European society more generally.\nIn this episode David Goldfarb, our host, uses Prus\u2019s novel, The Doll, to address the crisis in literacy discussed in the media recently, in reaction to the use of AI in the classroom, and in light of the effects of the COVID pandemic on reading practices. Building on his own pre-pandemic experience of teaching his course on the Polish Novel at Barnard College, Columbia University, he offers some suggestions for how to read a big novel like The Doll, as a scholar, critic, or student, and applies some of those techniques to the opening chapters and other selected passages of the novel.\nSelected works of Boles\u0142aw Prus in English Translation:\nPrus, Boles\u0142aw. \u201cApparitions.\u201d In Warsaw Tales. Selected and tr. Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Ed. Helen Constantine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024. Pgs. 1-13.\nPrus, Boles\u0142aw. The Doll. Tr. David Welsh and revised by Dariusz To\u0142czyk and Anna Zaranko. Introduction by Stanis\u0142aw Bara\u0144czak. New York: NYRB Classics, 2011. (This edition is identical to the 1996 edition from CEU Press, including Bara\u0144czak\u2019s introduction). \nPrus, Boles\u0142aw. Emancipated Women. Tr. Stephanie Kraft. Amherst, Mass.: Levellers Press, 2015. \nPrus, Boles\u0142aw. Pharoah. Tr. Christopher Kasparek. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2024. \nPrus, Boles\u0142aw. \u201cThe Sins of Childhood\u201d & Other Stories. Tr. Bill Johnston. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 1996. \nDavid A. Goldfarb, Host & ProducerBartek Remisko, Curator and Executive ProducerNatalia Iyudin, Producer\nLead image: Sofia Andrukhovych, Image courtesy of Sofia AndrukhovychGuest photo: Vitaly Chernetsky, Image courtesy of Vitaly Chernetsky"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"pl-PL","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/2025\/07\/22\/boleslaw-prus-encounters-with-polish-and-ukrainian-literature\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/Encounters-Socials-2.psd-13.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/Encounters-Socials-2.psd-13.png","width":1781,"height":1781},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/2025\/07\/22\/boleslaw-prus-encounters-with-polish-and-ukrainian-literature\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Boles\u0142aw Prus \u2013 Encounters with Polish and Ukrainian Literature"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/#website","url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/","name":"Instytut Polski w Nowym Jorku","description":"Instytuty Polskie","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"pl-PL"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/#\/schema\/person\/c732b2695ee92026d080eec35471c7f1","name":"stypulkowskaa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"pl-PL","@id":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29bb1802c91e057084d5d112dd59dc4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29bb1802c91e057084d5d112dd59dc4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"stypulkowskaa"},"url":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/author\/stypulkowskaa-2\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/202"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17704"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18384,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17704\/revisions\/18384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}