The cheerful back cover to the brochure tells its own story. Over a long weekend in Warszawa the enthusiasm for books was visible with tents outside in Plac Defilad, stalls inside the Palace of Culture and an overflow into the Modern Art Gallery next door. Younger ones out numbered the older readers everywhere with literally hundreds of publishers present, many of whom had corralled their authors to put in an appearance. The partnership this year with the Republic of Korea as the special guest was not out of place and very much a sign of the times as Poland is a a dynamic global actor on the world stage.
The size of the pavilions seemed also to be a reflection of the changing world of publishing. To my surprise the Czytelnik stall was one of the smallest with just room for two people, one of whom was Adam Zamoyski quietly signing the occasional book and politely interested in our reading of Isabella the Valiant, but camera shy. In contrast, the super size pavilion housing NieZwyklą Książkę was heaving with dramatic books for the younger generations. The beautiful book covers were enticing, many of which were emblazoned with English titles. Świat Książki also pulled in the crowds but it was easy to do as they launched the latest book Kandydat by Jakub Żulczyk, the day before the first round of the recent presidential election. The queues awaiting his arrival were long. But I managed the photo before he had a chance to sit at the signing desk escorted by his suitably attired entourage! He was not camera shy! I am waiting for the translation of the book into English.
I was delighted to see that I could buy a new edition of Śłowka by Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński which includes the Piosenki Zielonego Balonika. My companion book for my visit to Warszawa was Russia’s Neighbour: the New Poland by Bernard Newman published in 1946. I wanted to recall his commentary of that time alongside my new encounters in 2025. The result is a desire to return to the book fair next year!
Krystyna Szumelukowa