Kamilla Dudek, a German teacher and also the author of a book about our city “Bolesławiec słowem i obrazem malowany”, invited our journalist to an author meeting at the Zespół Szkół Elektronicznych.
This was another meeting with students from secondary schools. Grażyna Hanaf had previously visited II Liceum Ogólnokształcące and the Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących i Zawodowych on Komuny Paryskiej Street.
“I am very grateful to school principals and teachers for every invitation. I gladly accept them all,” says Grażyna Hanaf. “These are some of the most enjoyable author meetings I attend. Young people are open, warm and very curious about what I have to tell them about the book. I discover that if we respect ourselves and others, we can talk about any subject. I address sensitive issues during the meetings. I talk about homosexuality because the main character believes he is gay. I talk about being different, a lack of acceptance and respecting other people’s differences. Every time, I repeat that young people should not suppress their emotions. If they feel embarrassed, ashamed or even disgusted by a topic related to a man’s love for another man, I ask them to say so,” adds our journalist.
During the meeting with the first-year ZSE class, the plot of “Joachim” served as a starting point for a discussion about the problems faced by young people today, especially those considered controversial: searching for one’s own identity, fear of exclusion, a lack of tolerance and the need for acceptance, the pressure to fit in with others even against one’s own wishes, violence, and a lack of interest from parents. But not only that—the book also encourages readers to discover their talents and develop them.
“Grażyna Hanaf established contact with the young people very quickly,” reports Kamilla Dudek about the meeting. “The writer encouraged discussion not only about the book. The students of class 1F eagerly asked questions about the characters in ‘Joachim,’ but they were also interested in the author’s writing process. The writer was delighted with the meeting, as evidenced by the inscriptions in the books, which can be seen in the photographs,” adds the German teacher.
Last year, Kamilla Dudek published the book “Bolesławiec słowem i obrazem malowany”. The author interpreted depictions of Bolesławiec in various historical sources: on old city seals, in the city’s coat of arms, on postcards, in local substitute currency, in works of traditional and modern visual art, and in the marks of ceramic manufacturers. She also included tales, legends, poetry and prose in her research. The book is available in Bolesławiec bookshops and on the zaczytani.pl website.
The book “Joachim” can be purchased at Agora bookshop (Rynek, Bolesławiec) and from online bookstores, including zaczytani.pl, Papirus Bolesławiec, and Empik.
All information and reviews of the book “Joachim” can be found on Grażyna Hanaf’s website.
(information: Kamilla Dudek/ii)