A History of Polish Literature

“Nasiłowska's deeply personal, if not idiosyncratic, sparsely annotated, frequently revelatory volume presents a ponderable array of authors, whose lesser-known works she often analyzes in compelling detail… Several items, such as analysis of the Sobieski letters, enlighten even the scholar. Discussion of Polish-Ukrainian heritage showcases a most timely topic… Highly recommended. All readers.”

  — D. Hutchins, CHOICE

“To write literary history is, of course, much more than to establish correlations between writers’ biographies and the themes of their works. But how to synthesize a vast amount of material and engage readers’ attention at the same time? Anna Nasiłowska’s A History of Polish Literature constitutes a master class in the art of writing literary history for the twenty-first century. This stylish book is rich in scholarship without being pedantic, immensely readable without being simplistic. It takes us on a journey exploring Polish literature’s complex, multicultural, and tumultuous past. It offers fresh readings of canonical works, while also enabling us to appreciate historically neglected writers, texts, and traditions. It combines a richly contextualized commentary with an incisive reflection on the place of literature in Poland’s culture and politics. Compelling and thought-provoking, it deepens our sense of what literary history means.”

 — Halina Filipowicz, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of Taking Liberties: Gender, Transgressive Patriotism, and Polish Drama, 1786-1989

“Anna Nasiłowska’s A History of Polish Literature is a wise and beautiful book that introduces the reader into the Polish literary world and at the same time paints a comprehensive picture of Polish culture. The author writes with a talent and passion that might prove infectious to both Polish and foreign readers. The former shall find here a refreshing reflection of their own identity and the latter a source of confrontation with their own culture. For both of them this shall be a critical book forcing them to think.”

—Maria Delaperrière, author of La littérature polonaise à l’épreuve de la modernité