A double volume of the periodical "Archiwum Emigracji" is going to be issued twice a year, after a long break, by new editors and in a new form. It is still the only scientific periodical in Poland devoted to the research of Polish culture in exile in the 20th century.

Tymoteusz Karpowicz's article "Władca wyspy czystej świadomości" opens "Studia - Szkice" ("Studies - Sketches") chapter. Karpowicz - a known poet and a specialist in literature, presents a monograph of Zdzisław Marek's artistic work. Karprowicz analyzes his, a little bit forgotten poetry, recognizes it and explains, indicating values, which usually obscure the hermeticism of the texts.

Janusz Kryszak, in his sketch, takes up a motive of coming back to Poland from exile, imaginary as well as real. This motive is one of the central imaginary-emotional complex, which became a permanent part of the creative activities of each emigration. The author combines the works of poets in exile, among others: Czesław Miłosz's, Wacław Iwaniuk's, or Adam Lizakowski's, and proves that emigration is not a closed process, finished along with a historical turn in 1989.

Kazimierz Adamczyk, in his sketch "Poeta w fortyfikacjach Tobruku" follows the transformation of the text in Dziwy niebieskie by Bogumił Andrzejewski in the period from the first edition of the Christmas issue "Polska Walcząca" in 1942, till the one from 1985 in the volume Podróż do krajów legendarnych. Seemingly insignificant author's changes, inserted in the second edition, open up two independent interpretative tracks for the researchers, certain appeal to two literary traditions: neo-romantic (in case of a war version of the text) and romantic (the second version). Adamczyk proves that there are features of autobiography in Bogumił Andrzejewski's works.

Irena Burzacka's sketch is devoted to Skrytki by Zofia Romanowiczowa. The author underlines the parabolic character of the text while analyzing the romantic novel, comparing it to the realism of the novel and psychological thread.

In the sketch "Spadkobierca awangardy" Marta Karpińska makes a comprehensive presentation of, still not enough known, Józef Bujnowski's poetic profile. Karpińska points at tight connections between Bujnowski's works and the Cracow Avant-garde tradition. The fact that Józef Bujnowski used to consciously continue mentioned connections in exile made his position in the life of literary London emigration marginal and was one of the reasons for the defiance of the "Wiadomości" periodical community.

The sketch "Krakowskie dziecko" is the presentation of Miriam Akavia, a writer of Polish origin, now living in Israel and writing in Hebrew. Marta Rutkowska penetratingly describes the complexities of Akavia's biography, migrations all over Europe till the moment she settled down in Israel - in many respects universal experiences, typical for Polish Jews; the victims of the history and extermination, who lost their national, cultural or religious identity, who were forced to find a new place for living and a new definition of their identity.

A similar subject is taken up in the following sketch by Karolina Famulska, who presents to a Polish reader, still little known Viola Wein, a writer emigrated in 1969, living in Israel and writing in Hebrew.

Another large chapter is devoted to Polish Art in Great Britain. Mirosław A. Supruniuk with his extensive article "Trwałość i płynność. Sztuka polska w Wielkiej Brytanii w XX wieku - wstęp do opisu" ("Stability and instability. Polish art in Great Britain in the 20th century - introduction to the description") opens this chapter. It is a certain introduction to a historical and sociological study on the history of Polish artists, emigrants living in GB and on their art. The author emphasizes the scale and the diversity of an examined phenomenon as well as meager research in this matter. Another sketch in this chapter is Magdalena Szwejka's study on religious art of Adam Kossowski. Joining Kossowski's biography with the description of the most eminent of his works, the author presents the works of this forgotten artist, focusing mainly on the period of his cooperation with Carmelite Abbey in Aylesford. Apart from the sketches, this chapter also features two interviews: a conversation between Maja Elżbieta Cybulska and Janina Baranowska, and the one between Carmelite Martin Sankey and Adam Kossowski.

A large, separate chapter honors Stefania Kossowska: a writer, a journalist, the last editor of "Wiadomości" in London. You can find here either Stefania Kossowska's texts (autobiographical sketch "Urodziłam się we właściwym czasie", two novels - "Spowiedź" and "Rudy kot" as well as one-act play "Zakupy"), or sketches - memories about the writer, written by closest co-workers and friends: Krzysztof Muszkowski, Jerzy R. Krzyżanowski, Maria-Ludwika Korwaser and Maria Bielicka, who tried to create the most complete profile of Stefa, not only an editor but also a private person and a key-character for so called Polish London. A supplement to the autobiographical sketch by Stefania Kossowska is Mirosław A. Supruniuk's text "Przyjaciele i znajomi", in which the author not only places a detailed biographical note but also presents collected and listed dedications from Kossowska's book collection, passed together with her archive to The Archives of Polish Emigration in Toruń. The chapter has also three interviews with Stefania Kossowska: led by Mirosław A. Supruniuk about her editing "Środa Literacka", by Mirosław Kowalski and Edward Dusza about "Wiadomości", the editor Mieczysław Grydzewski and people connected with this periodical.

The chapter "Wspomnienia - Biografie - Rozmowy" ("Memories - Biographies - Conversations") has sketches about mostly recently deceased, Polish diaspora figures - writers, journalists, artists, scientists like: Rafał Chwoles, Maria Danilewicz Zielińska, Janusz Eichler, Natan Gross, Janina Kościałkowska, Manfred Kridl (an extended memoir written by his daughter Elizabeth Kridl Valkenier), Jerzy Krzywicki, Leszek Leo Małysa, Czesław Miłosz, Adam Muszka, Mieczysław Paszkiewicz, Rafael Scharf, Olga Scherer, Czesław Słania, Tadeusz Walczak, Łukasz Winiarski. Moreover, this chapter has source materials prepared by Florian Śmieja: a fragment of a manuscript diary by Józef Poniatowski (1897-1995) - an economist, chief editor of "Orzeł Biały" in the Middle East and in Italy (1942-1944) and materials concerning the initiative of establishing Koło Polonistów Polskiego Uniwersytetu na Obczyźnie in years 1952-1955 (The Polonists Association of the Polish University in Exile) (three letters and the plan of the statute by Józef Bujnowski). Ryszard Demel in his sketch "Z archiwum pisarza rozbrojonego" describes Sergiusz Piacecki's difficult relations with the owners of the publication "Rój", Hanna and Marian Kister, bounded mainly by publishing his novel Kochanek Wielkiej Niedźwiedzicy (The lover of Ursa Major). The chapter also presents the profiles of two Polish musicians. Krzysztof Muszkowski exposes the circumstances, which caused that Andrzej Panufnik, an outstanding composer, decided in 1954 not to come back to Poland from one of his creative journeys and in fact settled down in GB. Whereas, a composer Alex Tamir, in the conversation with Karolina Famulska depicts his fate from the early times spent in Wilno, through the war, up till settling down in Israel. William Markiewicz's sketch ends this chapter, writing about ups and downs of his editing "Kurier Polsko-Kanadyjski" in years 1972-1985, the first private newspaper of the Polish community abroad, issued in Toronto and its latter continuation - "Nowy Kurier".

The last chapter "Recenzje - Omówienia - Polemiki" ("Reviews - Discussions - Polemics"), includes, among others, reviews of works recently published about Polish community in exile: Elżbieta Chodyłowa writes about the book by Eugeniusz E. Kruszewski devoted to Akcja Kontynentalna w Skandynawii (Continental Action in Scandinavia); Karolina Famulska writes about the book Nieobecni by a journalist Anna Ćwiakowska - biographical sketches, mainly about Polish Jews, artists, writers, journalists, scientists, social activists: Rafał Moczkodan elaborates the anthology of the texts Polacy w Iranie 1942-1945; Lech Paszkowski polemicizes with the review by Liliana Rydzyńska concerning a published biography of Andrzej Chciuk by Bogumiła Żongołłowicz; Andrzej Pomian depicts a profile of Wiktor Trościanko, a writer and journalist of long standing Radio Wolna Europa (Radio Free Europe) worker, responding to Paweł Machcewicz's charges concerning the cooperation Wiktor Trościanko with PRL (People's Republic of Poland) security services; Piotr Rambowicz reviews a sketch to biography of Marian Hemar Od Lwowa do Londynu compiled by Anna Mieszkowska, and war diaries Zapiski dla zjawy by Jerzy Stempowski; Wacław Lewandowski polemicizes with an article by J. Beczko, in which the author counts Jan Emil Skiwski, a publicist and a literary critic, collaborating during World War II with the occupier, among the members of Druga Emigracja (Second Foreign Exile) community. The text about the archives of Józef Mackiewicz and Barbara Toporska, deposited in the Polish Museum in Rapperwil, by Anna Tomczak ends the last chapter and the volume.

Tłum.: Barbara Sękowska-Reinke

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