– We discovered the beauty and relevance of Polish short stories while encouraging residents to read them aloud – explain the event’s organizers, teachers from Primary School No. 2: Elżbieta Grzyb, Anna Kozłowska and Monika Grzyb. All Polish-language teachers from Primary School No. 2 took part in the event.
A board and banners recalling the event were placed at the school entrance. During Polish-language lessons, students learned about the lives and work of Polish short-story authors. The children first read the stories and then talked about the emotions they evoked. An exhibition of artwork depicting barrel organs was organized in the corridor, inspired by their reading of Bolesław Prus’s short story of the same title, along with mind maps prepared by the older classes.
On Saturday, September 7, nine fifth-grade students, accompanied by Ms. Monika Grzyb, set out for the city center. In the Market Square and its vicinity, the children invited passers-by to read excerpts from “The Barrel Organ.” During the two-hour event, many passers-by actively participated in National Reading. They spoke positively about the idea and the young people’s activity. The group was also invited by Kazimierz Sucharzewski, the author of many wonderful poems, who read a long excerpt from the story in beautiful Polish, explaining concepts and asking listeners about their impressions. We would like to thank everyone who became involved in this reading adventure.
National Reading 2019
During this year’s edition of the National Reading campaign, the Presidential Couple proposed Polish short stories for reading. President Andrzej Duda and his Wife selected them from more than one hundred title suggestions sent to the Chancellery of the President.
Eight works for the eighth National Reading campaign:
- The Good Lady – Eliza Orzeszkowa;
- Smoke – Maria Konopnicka
- The Barrel Organ – Bolesław Prus
- My Father Joins the Fire Brigade (from the collection: The Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass) – Bruno Schulz
- Ploughing – Władysław Stanisław Reymont
- The Ravens and Crows Will Tear Us Apart… – Stefan Żeromski
- Sachem – Henryk Sienkiewicz
- Sawa (from the cycle: Soplica’s Memoirs) – Henryk Rzewuski
– This is a selection of texts whose common denominator is Polish identity combined with universal themes and reflection on people and society. Their concise form goes hand in hand with mastery of style and vividness that leaves readers with unforgettable impressions. Today, these texts have lost none of their relevance. They teach us that in life we should be guided by nobility and solidarity, that we must not lose our sensitivity to human suffering or forget our history – wrote President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda in a special letter.