Wietrzenie polonistyki
Ventilating Polish Studies

Summary/Abstract: Book review: Jerzy Smulski, “Przewietrzyć zatęchłą atmosferę uniwersytetów”. Wokół literaturoznawczej polonistyki doby stalinizmu [‘”Ventilate the stale ambience of universities.” Around Polish literary studies of the Stalinist era’], Toruń 2009. Smulski’s book can be read as an essay on selected socialist-realist ceremonies or rituals and their peculiar products (conventions, papers/reports, handbooks, anthologies and ritual discussions thereupon). Mr. Smulski makes us acquainted with the history of six annual conventions of Polish-studies youth, showing in what ways accounts on such events and resulting publications (papers) populated the period’s press, contributing to a hierarchical and ritual communication system. The book in question also offers studies devoted to events of the 1950s which show, for a change, how various ‘cracks’ or ‘chinks’ were appearing and thus, what course was taken by certain events not classifiable under the general model. Some discussions from the so-called ‘thaw’ period (e.g. the famous debates on handbooks or reprints) are mentioned in this context.

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