- November 8, 2013
- 194
“Good to be in Vilnius”. The scientific conference on the occasion of 20th anniversary of Polonistikos Centras at Vilnius University
Polish philologists trip to Vilnius in the 60’s, Lithuanian landscape in Polish literature, and dialogue between cultures – these and other issues will be discussed during the scientific conference titled “The function of languages and literature in Lithuania. Polish – Lithuanian scientific and cultural relationship” that will take place at Vilnius University.
The conference is organised by Polonistikos Centras at Vilnius University under the honourable auspices of the ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Lithuania Jarosław Czubiński.
Illegal trip
Prof. Alina Kowalczykowa from The Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences reminded the gathered of legendary trip of Polish philologists to Vilnius in 1967. “Why nobody mentioned it before? There was twenty three scientists taking part in it. The trip lasted eight days and was completely illegal” said A. Kowalczykowa. She also claimed that it was one of the best trip, because its participants felt freely and could sightsee Vilnius and neighbourhood. It was a dream come true since back then everyone was interested in Romanticism, and Vilnius is the birthplace of Polish Romanticism. One of the participant of the trip was legendary Prof. Kazimierz Wyka.
“It happened like this: the deputy minister of Lithuanian culture came to Warsaw, he was Russian, of course. By chance I met him at a party. I told him that I really would like to go to Lithuania. “But of course, you should come” he said” told about the background of the trip A. Kowalczykowa. It was an unusual thing, because back then the only way to visit Vilnius was to buy an 8 days trip: Vilnius-Leningrad-Ulyanovsk-Moscow but none could refuse the minister.
Lithuanian landscape in Polish poetry
Pfor. Tadeusz Bujnicki, a son of a well-known Polish poet Teodor Bujnicki, told the participants of the conference a few words about Lithuanian plots in Polish literature “My essay concerns Lithuanian landscape in Polish interwar poetry. (…) During interwar period about 100 volumes of poetry was published, I chose only dozen or so. I was governed by its meaning and artistic standards. Picture of Lithuania in Vilnius poetry emerges most of all from two previous suggestions, that is, firstly, under the pressure of partition experience and, secondly, strong influence of romantic literature. They created a special aura around native landscapes and effected the historical picture of Lithuania”.
Good to be in Vilnius
Polonistikos Centras was founded in 1993 on the strength of the agreement between Polish and Lithuanian governments. According to the signed agreement Vilnius University and Warsaw University obliged to create in their departments, on the basis of parity, Polish philology at the Faculty of Philology at Vilnius University and Lithuanian philology at the Faculty of Polish Studies at the Department of General Linguistics and Baltic Studies at Warsaw University. They bridged a huge gap as in the post-war years Polish philology at Vilnius University, unfortunately, didn’t exist. Over all these years the Centre visited plenty of important and well-known people, e.g. a Nobel Prize winner Czesław Miłosz who wrote in visitor’s book: “It is good to be in Vilnius in this company”. An essay by Kinga Gemen is dedicated to all those notes. “The aim of my paper is a pragmatic study of notes in visitor’s book. I wanted to analyse notes from 1994-1999 which are the first ones” informed dr Geben from Vilnius University.
The conference lasts two days (8,9 November). Among the participants are scientists from Lithuania and Poland, i.a. Algis Kaleda, Halina Karaś, Bohdan Cywiński, Tomasz Chachulski and many others.
Tłumaczenie by Sara Howicka w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Sara Howicka within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.
