Biographers of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, characterizing her features of personality, underline her pragmatism, consequence in action and logical mind. Her studies in the fields of mathematics, physics and chemistry developed these features of personality and, at the same time, paved her way to achievements on the world’s scale.

On May 20, 1921 during the ceremony of presenting a gram of radium to Maria Skłodowska-Curie, the President of the United States, Warren Harding, called the Polish scientist “the most noble of human beings, the best wife and a loving mother who could combine all the woman’s duties with the immense effort of her fabulous work.” It is unquestionable that scientific research in the field of experimental physics was the main aim and sense of Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s life. But this field of science, which a two-time Noble laureate has chosen, was, at those times, “exclusively male.”

The last will of Magdalena Lubomirska

The last will of Magdalena Lubomirska is a very interesting document of fe­male mentality. She was a polish noble women jointed with the king’s court of Augustus II Wettin. She presented the economic problem of her fortune and she created the schooling system for her children, and she protected their life as the orphans.

The Subject of the study are cinema biographies of artists. The main point of discussion is the “directed biography”, popular biography, existing in wide reception for example polish movie Papusza directed by Joanna Kos­Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze. In the paper used the method of analysis and comparison of various available sources and documents: scientific biography, interviews, press releases, reports and documentaries; particularly inspiring was the method of Panofsky. The aim of the article is not uncovering the truth biographical reality, but its interpretation in the form of ideas, visions of artists in the eyes of other artists (directors, screenwriters). There are important issues is the mythologizing and demythologization elements in a film about Papusza and also functions work: knowledge, education. Aesthetic values are not the subject of research in itself, but they can’t be overlooked because the analysis of image and analysis of content movie’s reminds analysis of discourse, because of the focus on intertextual relations.

Polish Journalism Pioneer at the Turn of 20th Century. Aleksander Świętochowski and His Relations with Press

From the age of 23 until his death at the age of 89, thus for more than half a century, Aleksander Świętochowski was associated with the Polish press. He was an author of texts, editor and publisher, owner of three magazines: „Prawda” („The Truth”), „Kultura Polska” („Polish Culture”), and „Humanista Polski” („The Polish Humanist”). Despite numerous additional activities in the public sphere - literary, social and educational, political - biographers unanimously believe that, above all, he was a journalist and in this role he had no equal. The aim of the article is to show life of „ The Apostle of Truth” through the prism of his relations with the press. The main theme has been set in the broader context of the political realities of the time. Due to the wide time span, the professional career dynamics of the protagonist and the evolution of his image were taken into account. Świętochowski’s approach to work, as well as his view on the surrounding reality, has been analyzed and an attempt has been made to assess the motives behind his decisions related to his profession.

Socio-Economic Concepts of Priest Antoni Szymański

Among the Catholic thinkers and social activists of the interwar period priest Antoni Szymański is for sure an exceptional figure. He can certainly be called the leader of the Catholic-social camp in the Second Polish Republic. This is justified not only given his rich literary work in this field, but also because of the numerous functions he performed at that time. He was at the head of the Social Council of the Primate of Poland, the Union of Polish Catholic Intelligentsia, and the Catholic University of Lublin. Over the years he was the chief-editor of „Prąd”, undoubtedly one of the most important Catholic periodicals of that period. In his socio-economic views, he consistently promoted the personalist position, opposing both capitalism based on individualism, and all sorts of collectivist conceptions.

Kazimierz Dagnan: Polish National Socialist

Kazimierz Dagnan (1891-1986) was an extraordinary, but practically forgotten today, figure. The activist of the independence conspiracy before the World War I, and the Piłsudski’s legionnaire had an almost archetypal biography for a generation of fighters for independence. In independent Poland, he found himself in the government administration, but he did not limit himself to an administrative career. He followed his own path, faithful to your ideals connecting the cause of Polish independence with the idea of the emancipation of the working class. He was active on the pro-Piłsudski wing of the National Workers’ Party (NWP), and after the coup d’etat in 1926 he became involved in the splinter pro-regime NWP-Leftgroup. He was an ideologist of the national workers’ movement, stubbornly trying to radicalize him. Making a synthesis of nationalism, democracy and reformist socialism, he created the original Polish national-socialist ideology. This ideology assumed the construction of a „People’s Poland of Labour” as a democratic state in which grassroots socialization of the means of production and exchange would gradually proceed. The priority for Dagnan still was the sovereignty of the Polish state and the primacy of the Polish (ethnic) nation in this state. The political expression of this ideology was the Party of National Socialists created in 1933, which, however, did not succeed and vegetated on the margins of political life. During World War II, Dagnan returned to his native Nowy Sącz. In People’s Poland, he began a second life there - as an artist and social activist valued in the local community.

“Republic of Managers” or “Primitive Taylorism”? Economic Concepts of Aleksander Bocheński in 1980s

An important element of Aleksander Bocheński’s political reflection was the analysis of economic phenomena. It was also always intertwined with the geopolitical reflection retained in the mainstream of political realism, which was the key to his concept. Bocheński affirmed the People’s Poland as a form of Polish statehood not only in the international but also in the economic aspect. He postwar than pre-war economic achievements, seeing the Second Republic primarily through the prism of the economic crisis and the weakness of industry. Over time, he became an honest supporter of the command and distribution system, raising the importance of labor discipline and high production rates. The emergence of Solidarity, martial law and the policy of Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski’s team considered not only in terms of the threat of Soviet intervention and internal destabilization, but also the economic crisis. He wanted a deep reform of the economic system, which nevertheless did not violate the general principle of economic control by the state. In place of the „dictatorship of bureaucrats,” he proposed the „dictatorship of managers”, combined with an appropriate system of incentive motivators. This led to his criticism of the idea of introducing competition mechanisms into the PRL economy. Treating the economic system as a great conglomerate, which every employee should feel obliged to work efficiently and reliably in the name of higher goals, he seemed to create a Polish variant of Taylorism. On the other hand, despite the large anachronism of his reflection, he appreciated the importance of computerization and economic relief for private entrepreneurs. In the turn of 1989, he referred with reserve to the actions of Deputy Prime Minister Balcerowicz, raising the social costs of shock therapy and its negative effects on Polish industry. At the end of his life, he was much better at assessing the economic policies of communists than the governments of the Third Polish Republic. He did not believe in the „invisible hand of the market”, but in the decisive role of adequately managed capital, that is, an efficient state apparatus. The pre-war and post-war advocate of etatism also remained faithful to the belief that the international position of the state determined to a decisive extent its economic potential.

Edward Licht (1912–1965) – A Sketch to the Portray of Pediatrician

The article is a biographical outline of Edward Licht - an outstanding pediatrician who created medicine in Szczecin from the very beginning after the Second World War. He was involved in the scientific and didactic work of the Medical Academy (later the Pomeranian Medical Academy, currently the Pomeranian Medical University). Among the many prominent figures of Polish post-war medicine there are many people who, despite their significant contribution to the development of this field of science, have remained forgotten by the history of medicine. Among them is Edward Licht, whose research focused on the issue of children’s rheumatic diseases and tuberculosis. An important background of this article are his Jewish origins, his special fate during the war and the fate of his family.

The author attempts to answer to question, to what extent eulogy written down by Livy and concerning title figure of Publius Licinius Crassus (consul in 205 B.C.), corresponded with the facts (Liv. XXX 1, 4-6). Article presented stages of political and military career of the above-mentioned member of nobilitas and his competences. This activity can be followed by analysis his activity during holding consecutive offices (pontifex maximus, censor, magister equitum, praetor peregrinus, consul, proconsul). Where therefore we should seek origins of so high assesment given him by Livy? Analysing his activity the course Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.) author arrived at the conclusion, that it were not relatively modest war deedes, particularly in comparison with Roman outstanding leaders in this range, which decided about standing of Crassus. In his career, he placed himself in the role of the client of powerful gens Cornelia. He gained support from Cornelii during elections for pontifex maximus. In return for patronage and help in promotion on consecutive magistracies, he reciprocated undobtedly using his extensive juridicial knowledge. As a pontifex maximus he was also important link in the system of political control over sphere of the religion. Thus, origins of prestige of Crassus we should perceive above all in his mastery of the law. He was known not only as a expert in pontifical law, but also in advising Roman people and senate. It is emphasized not only by Livy, but also by Cicero, whose testimony, although late, it seems valuable, because it revels to us good memory of Crassus, which was preserved in Roman tradition. By advising in lawsuits, he was able to build own clientele, anywaythe network of obligations. This activity was also probably origin of his substantial profits (hence cognomen Dives). Example of the Crassus shows to us, that in Republican Rome, even in tumultuous times, it was there possibility to gain high political standing beyond sphere stricte military.

Generał Lucjan Żeligowski pochodził z polskiej rodziny szlacheckiej, herbu „Bończa”. Jego przodkowie walczyli ze Szwedami w XVI wieku, a jego ojciec brał udział w powstaniu styczniowym w 1863 roku. Jedna z najbardziej kontrowersyjnych postaci w korpusie generałów II RP. Walczył w wojnie rosyjsko-japońskiej (1904-1905). Podczas Wielkiej Wojny, po zgodzie władz rosyjskich na tworzenie polskich formacji wojskowych, był współorganizatorem Brygady Strzelców Polskich, walczył w szeregach Polskiej Dywizji Strzelców i w Pierwszym Korpusie Polskim W ostatnim okresie wojny współorganizował 4. Dywizję Strzelców Polskich, z którą dotarł do Polski przez Odessę i Besarabię. Walczył z wojskami Zachodnioukraińskiej Republiki Ludowej i w wojnie polsko-radzieckiej - na Froncie Północnym (10 DP) oraz w walkach pod Radzyminem (podczas bitwy warszawskiej). Po wojnie na czele 1. Dywizji Piechoty Litewsko-Białoruskiej zajął Wilno i doprowadził do powstania Republiki Litwy Środkowej. „Bunt Żeligowskiego” zaowocował przyłączeniem tego obszaru do Polski. W Wojsku Polskim był dowódcą Inspektoratu Wojskowego nr 2 w Warszawie i Ministrem Spraw Wojskowych. Po zamachu stanu Piłsudskiego (zamachu majowym) stanął na czele Komisji Likwidacyjnej powołanej w celu wyjaśnienia okoliczności i przebiegu wydarzeń majowych w 1926 r. Był także inspektorem armii w Generalnym Inspektoracie Zbrojnym Siły. 31 sierpnia 1927 r. przeszedł na emeryturę. W 1928 r. został przewodniczącym Kapituły Orderu Odrodzenia Polski i członkiem Trybunału Stanu. W 1935 r. został wybrany posłem na Sejmu IV kadencji z listy Bezpartyjnego Bloku Współpracy z Rządem - przewodniczył Komisji Wojskowej Parlamentu, a następnie był posłem na Sejm V kadencji z listy bezpartyjnej. Podczas II wojny światowej był członkiem Rady Narodowej Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, przewodniczącym Komitetu Wojskowego i kanclerzem Orderu Virtuti Militari. Zwolennik słowiano filstwa. W okresie powojennym opowiadał się za współpracą z ZSRR. Zmarł w Londynie w 1947 r. Spoczywa na Cmentarzu Wojskowym na Powązkach w Warszawie.

From Mikołaj Kozakiewicz to Maciej Płażyński. Sketches for the portrait of the Marshals of the Sejm in 1989–2011

The aim of the article is to present the biographies of the first five marshals of Polish parliaments in 1989–2011. The Marshals of the Sejm presented in short biographical sketches are figures who played an important role in Polish politics. Among them were politicians from various political groups. Two activists associated with the Polish people’s movement (Mikołaj Kozakiewicz and Józef Zych), one socialist from the former post-communist camp (Józef Oleksy) and two with a beautiful card in the anti-communist opposition and strongly associated with the Catholic Church (Wiesław Chrzanowksi and Maciej Płażyński). The Marshal of the Sejm is the speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament. The office traces its origins to the 15th century. In modern Poland, the full title is Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. Today the Marshal of the Sejm is the chairman of the Presidium of the Sejm and the Convention of Seniors. The Marshal oversees the work of the Sejm, supervises procedural sessions of the Sejm, and convenes and chairs the proceedings of the Convention of Seniors and the Presidium of the Sejm. Since 1989 substitutes for the President of Poland in the event of that office’s vacancy.

This study outlines the challenges faced by authors who might undertake in the future the task of writing a full scholarly biography of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. The author of this paper analyzes the state of research to date and evaluates the existing literature on the subject. The following two sections deal with challenges regarding source material and interpretive challenges in describing diverse areas of the life and scope of the Primate of the Millennium’s activities. The paper focuses on the period of Wyszyński’s service as a primate, as it seems that in-depth research on the earlier stages of Stefan Wyszyński’s life could be an arduous task to conduct.

In this article, I present the topic of work on the feelings undertaken by doctors and medical staff towards a child with a rare disease and its immediate family. I refer to the sociological concept of the trajectory of the disease. I used the method of the narrative interview in terms of Frütz Schitze. In the last part of the article, I present the results of research carried out with the mother of the sick person. The respondent presents cooperation with specialists in a negative light. Both doctors and nurses do not undertake interactional work of the patient and his relatives, nor do they trustt work in them and biographical work. Such work is of great importance in the treatment of the child and in the process of supporting his relatives. Actions taken by specialists affect the life of the patient and his family not only in terms of physical health. They are also about the well-being of the family, its emotional resources. The result of evident mistakes in these actions is the fact that the mother of the sick child does not work through a difficult biographical experience.

The main thesis of this article is that the concept of “bio/hagio/graphy” is the key to understanding the communication mechanisms of the narrative on historical figures regarded as national heroes and/or saints of the Catholic Church in the context of recent Polish history. The author of this text, perceiving biography as a set of narrative practices, notices that in “bio/hagio/graphy” these practices are subordinate to the hagiographic attitude towards the protagonist of the story adopted by the author of the work. This phenomenon is exemplified by the process of shaping bio/hagio/ graphic narrative about Stanisława Leszczyńska. Various stages of reconstructing the biography of the “midwife from Auschwitz” were distinguished, in which the biographical narrative evolved from autobiographical testimony through hagiographic practices of the religious community to the popular circulation of literature, not necessarily of confessional nature.

The aim of the article is to present a part of the biography of Sygurd Wiśniowski – a 19th-century traveler, writer and industrialist who appeared quite unexpectedly in the Polish press and was almost as quickly forgotten. The article is an attempt to present the possibility of using scattered press releases and epistolography in biographical studies. The value of press reports as a source of the facts is proved by a number of thematic studies. The atricle is based on a query of Polish press and Polish diaspora press and completed with an analysis of the traveler’s private letters, which allowed to verify the facts. Information obtained from the numerous press titles and letters suplement the current state of research with unknown or weakly known facts, making it possible to build an outline of a biography documented in the sources. The studies showed that a number of biographical findings about Sygurd Wiśniowski, which are established in the current literature on the subject, requires correction, and research in this field of press sources is promising.

About being (not)rooted in Silesianness. New Silesia as a space for creating a biography

New Silesia was the result of a communist project, that was implementing the vision of building a socialist world and creating a new man. This process had fundamental importance for people coming in masses to Upper Silesia to work and for their biographies to be constructed. In the article I present a trajectory reconstruction of the identity of a woman participating in the research. Her biography is an example of the identity processes related to the arrival and life in the „forming” city.

Żuławski – associations

In my short essay, I wanted to address the issues of Andrzej Żuławski’s „Shamanka”. Especially in the context of critical voices that consider this work to be iconoclastic. I was especially interested in the issue of transgression, understood as the ability to defend against the system. The essence of taboo collapse, also seen in other artist- -directors, exploits the potential of primordial violence, coming closer to relations that are not conditioned by economics or matter, but purely Nature’s laws, based on predators and victims, whose sources of behavior and characteristics pass. To the next stages of human evolution, only in fuzzy clarity. Because of new environment conditions, caused by culture, then civilization. Hence the great metaphorical values of the heroes of Żuławski’s production, and above all the character of „Italians”. The film’s content is her relationship with the anthropologist Michal, fascinated by archaic epochs, but with a completely different approach to them. Similar transgressive meaning, though on a different personal background, can be seen in Italian director Paolo Pasolini’s reminiscence, which may be recalled during the screening. Equally controversial was his last venture – Salo 120 days of Sodomy – a free adaptation of the novel of the Marquis de Sade. I set up both films to signal the polemic approach of both directors to postmodern societies.

Professor Roman Wapinski’s reflections on the role and tasks of historical biography of historical biography 

In the scientific work of Professor Roman Wapiński (1931–2008), a prominent place was occupied by historical biography. This stream of his writing includes among others biographies of three important figures of the Polish political scene in the first half of the twentieth century: Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski, Roman Dmowski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, numerous biographical notes published in the Polish Biographical Dictionary, monographs devoted to political awareness and generational groups in the Second Polish Republic, politicians of the Polish political scene in the twentieth century. The analysis of the content of the following article boils down to the statement, which takes the form of the main research thesis (Roman Wapiński identifies with it), that the cognitive values of this genre of historical writing require further scientific research, and go hand in hand with the recognition of: “its citizenship, together with the recognition of the usefulness of some of its varieties for studying the behaviour and fates of larger communities […], besides, it is probably not so rare that this is the only way to more widespread historical education”. The article is based on selected literature on the subject. The specificity of the issue in question and the articulation of the research problem naturally influenced the selection and nature of the research methods applied. The text uses elements of discourse analysis, text analysis, historical and diachronic methods. From among the applied research techniques, the most useful turned out to be the analysis of the testimonies of political thought, the essence of which is to draw conclusions on the basis of source materials collected and relating to the undertaken research problem.

On the resonator of biography.  Herstory Libussy  Fritz-Krockow. Written down by Christian Graf von Krockow Fritz-Krockow. Written down by Christian Graf von Krock

The author reads and interprets the work of Christian Graf von Crockow titled “The Hour of the Women”. She shows that in the process of (re)writing his sister’s story in various ways, the author strengthened the sense of her narrative – he became a “biography resonator”. The aim of the article is to analyze the aims and methods, as well as the effects of this “resonance”. It will be a look at a biographical and historical work from a literary studies, partly interdisciplinary perspective. The author argues that it is time to replace the rhetoric of the collective experience of Polish and German resettlement with an analysis of the record of an individual fate.