SHARED PRESENCE - JAN STRZAŁKA

Immerse yourself in a fascinating journey through half a century of correspondence that reveals the behind-the-scenes life of Polish intellectuals in the 20th century. "Shared Presence" is a collection of letters from Julia Hartwig and Artur Międzyrzecki to Jerzy and Anna Turowicz, which is a testament to extraordinary friendship and family intimacy. It is an intimate look at the fate of outstanding figures, their worries and joys, as well as the turbulent historical events that shaped their lives.

• A unique source of knowledge about Polish intellectuals of the 20th century
• Touching testimony of friendship and family intimacy
• Valuable information for researchers of literary history
• Inspiring reading for every reader
• Diary for four voices – invaluable records from the lives of outstanding intellectuals

Julia Hartwig, an outstanding poet, and Artur Międzyrzecki, a well-known writer and translator, formed a close friendship with Jerzy Turowicz, the editor-in-chief of "Tygodnik Powszechny", and his wife Anna. Their correspondence, which lasted almost half a century, is not only an exchange of thoughts and feelings, but also a chronicle of important cultural and political events. These letters are an invaluable source of knowledge about intellectual life in post-war Poland, the struggle against censorship and the pursuit of freedom of speech.

The publication "Shared Presence" is a real treat for lovers of literature and history. The letters of Międzyrzecki and Turowicz reach and sometimes even surpass the best parts of the diaries of Artur Międzyrzecki and Julia Hartwig. It can be said without exaggeration that this correspondence is their diary for four voices, showing the richness and complexity of their personalities.

I have a lot of affection for you, both from my own side and borrowed, even from February this year, from Ksawery Pruszyński's stay in Poland, or maybe even earlier. I have always heard the best about you - Julia Hartwig wrote to Jerzy Turowicz in July 1951, asking him to lay flowers on the grave of Ksawery Pruszyński, who died a month earlier and was buried in the Rakowicki Cemetery. Turowicz, who knew the author of "Thirteen Stories" from before the war and published his texts in "Tygodnik Powszechny" after the war, did not fail to fulfill the request of the young and grief-stricken woman. Already this first letter of the then little-known poet, because Julia Hartwig's debut volume was not to appear until 1956, to the much older and already recognized publicist and editor-in-chief of "Tygodnika" and his response to that letter - give a foretaste of the friendship that soon connected Julia Hartwig, and soon also Artur Międzyrzecki, with Jerzy Turowicz and his wife Anna. This friendship eventually took on the character of a kinship of choice and even family intimacy. The letters presented in this volume constitute the entirety of the preserved, almost half-century-long correspondence between the Międzyrzeckis and the Turowiczs, which is not only a testimony of the mutual friendship and intimacy of both families, but also an extremely important testimony of the fate of the Polish intelligentsia in the 20th century. Many of the letters reach or even surpass the best parts of the diaries of Artur Międzyrzecki and Julia Hartwig. It can be said without exaggeration that the correspondence between the Międzyrzeckis and the Turowiczs is their diary for four voices.

Technical data:

Publisher: a5

Year of publication: 2012

Cover: paperback

Format: 204x148 mm

Number of pages: 640

Author: Jan Strzałka