Jan Kochanowski’s Name Day Has Come to a Close
The most exuberantly celebrated name day in Warsaw? Jan Kochanowski’s Name Day! The National Library’s literary picnic was held for the fourteenth time, and this year’s protagonist was Bolesław Prus – a writer who continues to fascinate us as a chronicler of everyday life, an attentive observer of social mechanisms, and a witness to the transformations of the modern world.
This year’s edition of the Name Day took place in true summer heat, which nevertheless did not discourage the audience from taking part in the event. Guests enjoyed the shade of the trees as well as the cool interiors of the Palace of the Commonwealth, where one of the stages was moved. At the Palace, visitors could also take part in the final guided tour of the exhibition The Language and Emotions of the Polish Middle Ages, try their hand at a tournament based on the computer game Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts, and join a guided tour of the permanent exhibition.
The Purple Stage opened with the children’s theatre performance The Little Doll, based on a text by Grzegorz Kasdepke, adapted and directed by Tomasz Cyz. The Green Stage opened with a performance by the Hofesinka Improvised Theatre, inspired by Bolesław Prus’s Chronicles.
For the rest of the day, Bolesław Prus’s work served as the starting point for conversations about technology, urban life, money, relationships, emancipation, and contemporary dreams and disappointments connected with progress. A particularly large audience was drawn to the meeting Writing under a Pseudonym, during which Ove Løgmansbø/Remigiusz Mróz and Wit Szostak/Dobrosław Kot discussed writing in one’s own voice under someone else’s name.
One of this year’s new features was a comics battle inspired by Positivism and the classics of Polish literature. The improvised drawing duels were won by Piotr Nowacki, known, among other things, for the series Detective Bear Zbyś on the Case.
In the poetry match, judged as every year by Grzegorz Markowski, two teams faced off in interpretations of poems about unfulfilled love. By decision of the voting audience, Edyta Olszówka’s team – consisting of Michał Mikołajczak, Olaf Lubaszenko, and Masza Wągrocka – defeated Grażyna Barszczewska’s team, made up of Michał Balicki, Mirosław Oczkoś, and Agnieszka Żulewska.
The evening part of the Name Day opened with a concert by the band Księżyc, who performed Midsummer Song about Sobótka together with Monika Brodka. This year’s interpretation of the Song enchanted the audience with its dreamlike mood, subtle sound, and extraordinary atmosphere. The finale belonged to Tęgie Chłopy, whose energetic interpretations of traditional folk music swept the audience into dancing under the stars.
Jan Kochanowski’s Name Day also includes a book fair. As every year, in the Krasiński Garden visitors could browse the stands of some of Poland’s most interesting publishing houses and meet several dozen authors.
See you next year!