Józefa Witas is not merely the owner of Agora bookshop. She is also a well-known figure in the bookselling community, involved for many years in promoting high culture in our city and, consequently, promoting Bolesławiec itself. “I do it partly for my own selfish reasons,” Józefa Witas explains. “I believe that the work one does can truly be beautiful and interesting. I chose a profession I am proud of. For me, work is simply a pleasure,” she adds.
She has been cooperating with the East for more than a decade. This cooperation has led to exhibitions, author meetings and concerts. Children from Lviv and opera singers have visited our city. “I have the opportunity to bring interesting people here,” Józefa Witas explains. This brings joy not only to the many people from the Borderlands living in Bolesławiec, but also to our compatriots living in the East. “They are Poles for whom Poland is something they dream of and long for. They miss their homeland and constantly emphasize their Polish identity. It is worth doing this for that reason alone,” the owner of Agora says with a smile.
Promoting artists from the East is only one part of Józefa Witas’s cultural activity. For many years, the owner of Agora has invited outstanding personalities and major writers to our city. Last year alone, Bolesławiec hosted, among others, Professor Jan Miodek, Tadeusz Różewicz—neither for the first time—Małgorzata Kalicińska and Maryla Hempowicz. “We are dealing with interesting people who radiate positive energy. Thanks to them, others have more interesting lives,” the Bolesławiec resident says matter-of-factly.
Asked which of the outstanding personalities she had met had made the greatest impression on her, Józefa Witas named Tymoteusz Karpowicz, the now-deceased great writer and intellectual. “He was a truly extraordinary mind. Despite his age, he continued learning and creating something new all the time,” Witas recalls. But she immediately adds: “People usually pay attention to the best-known names. Sometimes it is worth noticing someone who is not very popular but does wonderful things.”
That is why the owner of Agora has for many years been involved in promoting the work of, among others, Ryszard Adam Gruchawka. “What Gruchawka writes is no worse than the texts of Tuwim and Brzechwa,” Józefa Witas emphasizes. “There are few people like that. For years, nobody was interested in him. But we managed to promote him enough that publishers themselves are now interested in him; his works will no longer be forgotten.”
Promoting Bolesławiec
As Józefa Witas acknowledges, it is also important to ensure that invited artists receive an appropriate welcome. “We always try to do everything we can so that they leave truly satisfied and have the best possible memories of this city,” the owner of Agora emphasizes. And it pays off. “Everyone who has been here remembers Bolesławiec fondly. That is why they are happy to return,” Józefa Witas says with a smile.
The commemorative “Mickiewicz-Pushkin” medal is by no means the first distinction Józefa Witas has received over the course of her career. The Bolesławiec resident had previously been honored, among other things, with the “Meritus Patriae” medal awarded by the “Aid to Poles in the East” Foundation, the Polish Booksellers Association badge and the title of “Model Bookseller.” However, as the owner of Agora herself admits, the most important recognition for her was the Ikar, an award from the publishing and bookselling industry. “I received the Ikar together with Father Twardowski; that was already a great honor for me. All the more so because it took place at Trójka, in the Agnieszka Osiecka Studio. These are things one never forgets,” the Bolesławiec resident recalls with emotion.
What plans does the owner of Agora have for 2008? “There will certainly be plenty of attractions,” Józefa Witas says with a smile. Olga Tokarczuk may visit Bolesławiec this year. “We will try to bring someone interesting here on an ongoing basis,” the Bolesławiec resident adds.
(GA information)