This work of non-fiction, written in Polish, is most simply categorised as popular science. It is about many aspects of medicine, especially in relation to art and culture. It ranges from technical details of genome research, for instance, to ancient myth, quoting a wide range of sources from various disciplines within both the humanities and science. Written in an anecdotal style, it describes the work of many Nobel prize-winning scientists as well as of great artists and writers in relation to medicine, and also the author’s personal experience as a doctor. In short, it is fascinating, beautifully written and of wide general interest.
A children’s book authored by a renowned reporter. Maciej Orłoś wrote it with his six year-old son in mind. Kubuś lives in Warsaw, he goes to preschool – daily his grandmother walks him there. Everything might seem ordered and ordinary. And yet... In a seemingly ordinary world Kubuś experiences something extraordinary and mysterious, his days aren’t always so normal and planned out. This is in great part thanks to Kubuś' grandmother, an extraordinary and mysterious woman, who always finds ways to break the routine. Maciej Orłoś does a wonderful job of exploring the unique imaginative world of children. The beautiful and intricate illustrations by Maria Ekier are an added treat.
Life... is a complex, crazy road novel with several plots told in dozens of chapters. The narrative is packed with humour and moves along at the pace of a Kusturica fi lm, as Podsiadło pays tribute to writers like Richard Brautigan, Bohumil Hrabal and Egon Bondy. In a series of immediate, simple episodes laced with absurdity and moving the reader to tears of laughter with his clever wit, Podsiadło writes about things that matter and brings up some essential issues in an offbeat way. He plays with minor scenes from life as witnessed in small towns on the Baltic and on mountain trails, presenting sketches of people, conversations overheard, gestures observed, and winding his own recollections into the narrative. He pokes fun at stuffy officialdom and intellectual limitation, while also showing the beauty and authenticity of the provincial, peripheral and marginal world.
A collection of essays of well-deserved fame. Full of passion and ardour, they deal mainly with painting (among others the work of Cézanne, Soutine, Bonnard, Picasso and Polish colourists), but the volume also contains excellent texts on Stanisław Brzozowski and Marcel Proust, writers who were particularly consequential for Czapski’s spiritual development. Because of the distinct personal touch Looking can be read not only as a fascinating introduction to the world of art, but also an autobiography of sorts.
