Polish Writers take on Poole
Literary evening of two Polish writers, 4 February 2017, Poole
Fundraising event in an aid of ABC Polish Saturday School K. Makuszynski in Poole
Two Polish writers, Anna Ryland, whose debut novel A Second Chance has just been published by TSL Books and Jan Krasnowolski, author of three collections of short stories (the latest “African electronics” came out in 2013) met for the first time on a cold and wet February night in Poole to talk about their books and reflect on a writer’s life. They faced a truly multinational and multicultural audience, many of whom had links to Poland and family roots in that country. This shaped the discussions and interactions of the evening.
A writer usually prefers solitude and to some extent a reader also likes to be left alone with a book. A literary event often challenges this and forces introverts to become extraverts, sometimes with surprising results.
The focus of the evening was immigration – the experiences and perceptions of different waves of Polish immigrants seeking a better life in Britain. The writers and their guests also explored the process of writing, artistic inspirations, different historical contexts and the direction that Polish literature might take in the future.
Anna, a professional journalist described her intention to write a novel in English to give a voice to Polish immigrants of the nineties. She wished to confront the stereotypes of Poles in Britain. It is often assumed that a typical Polish man is a plumber or a builder while a Polish woman works as a cleaner or a waitress. The stories featured in A Second Chance are told by an insider. Anna based her novel on her own experiences, as well as those of people she met in Britain.
Jan favours horror and macabre so his stories rarely end well. He will soon publish “Syreny z Broadmoore” (Broadmoore’s Sirens), stories based on crimes either committed on Poles or by Poles in Britain after Poland joined EU.
Two authors writing in very different genres and in different styles made for a fascinating evening.
cheques should be sent to
ABC Polish Saturday School in Poole
c/o Stanley green Infant Academy
15-17 Stanley Green Rd
Oakdale
Poole, BH15 3AA
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