“Bazylek Gives Himself a Break,” the second part of the notes, is the printed version of a blog (an online diary) that Jacek Pałka has been writing for two years. The author graduated in philosophy from the University of Silesia and was a journalist for many years. He currently works as an English teacher.
Boleslawiec.org: How did the first print run sell?
Jacek Pałka: It’s hard to tell. I lost contact with the first publisher. There were certainly 3,500 books published. It’s quite possible there was a reprint. It seems to me that’s a lot for such fledgling Polish prose.
B.org: You write about life with your son. How do readers react to your adventures? Opinions often appear on the blog saying that you should raise your child this way or that...
JP: Because everyone knows best. These books are a little comedy. I never wondered whether the advice would catch on. I divided my readers into two groups. Worried mothers resent the fact that I let my child bathe in a waterfall, because the waves could have swept him away and smashed him against the rocks. They resent that I’m lenient, that I spoil him, and that I tell indecent stories about “tattoos.” Worried mothers know best. On the other hand, there is a fairly large group of aware mothers who believe that everything is fine and that everyone raises children according to their own ideas. I hope most people have a sense of humor and know that life is not exactly as it is in the book. I embellish things. We live like normal people; it’s all just covered in a little sensational sauce. That doesn’t mean it’s made up—it’s true.
B.org: The first book was a success. Does that hurt some people?
JP: With all due humility, I have to say that it was undoubtedly a success. No one from Bolesławiec has managed to publish such a popular read nationwide, of course excluding specialist publications. And surely that rankles. It rankles people from cultural and artistic circles. Some of them can share in my happiness at the success, while others are hostile. The circle involved in publishing and selling books treats me rather coldly, although, for example, the Agora bookstore supports me and even organized an author meeting. I don’t know what lies behind this hostility. I don’t know whether it’s complexes or unhealthy, gratuitous envy. At my numerous workplaces, people are willing to keep quiet about what I do. There are no comments. No one rushes to congratulate me, but no one bad-mouths me either.
B.org: You appeared alongside single fathers on the program “Rozmowy w Toku.” So, how was it?
JP: That needs a little explanation. I’m not a classic single father, because I’m raising Michał together with his mother. Together, but separately. I didn’t fit that program. I ended up there because there was an idea for a somewhat different episode titled “unusual fatherhood.” Unfortunately, there was room for only three protagonists, so I found myself among the single fathers. However, I solemnly denied at the beginning that I really had much in common with that situation. It’s a very nice, useful, entertaining program. The blog’s readers were happy because they could finally see what I look like.
B.org: What do you do every day?
JP: I teach English at the Zespół Szkół Mechanicznych. I also work at various private schools. I do various other things too. And nothing more.
B.org: And what did you do before? Any other publications besides the book?
JP: I worked in journalism. I think I went through all the magazines in Bolesławiec.
B.org: And what are your impressions?
JP: I’ll dodge the answer. I didn’t fit in with the journalistic community because I simply didn’t feel it. I preferred administering to conducting interviews. I liked putting together layouts and writing columns more than talking to readers. There are certainly reliable people in the local media who are capable of a great deal. It’s hard for me to say how the media are doing in reality. I think it’s good that they address many necessary matters.
B.org: I don’t see a computer at your place...
JP: Because I don’t have one! This is a certain phenomenon of my work. I wrote all my books in internet cafés or on my father’s computer or at school. Of course, after classes or during breaks.