Thread by @maxfras

Poland's / Polish language soft power in geography and literature

A thread /1

#MotherLanguageDay

In geographical names related to Poland, North America leads the way with:

Warsaw - 19 locations
Pulaski - 18
Varsovia - 8
Poland - 7
Krakow - 4

Not to forget Las Polonias and Poland Creek

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In modern prose, Poland's top global exports include:

Witkowski
Kuczok
Tokarczuk
Myśliwski
Masłowska

In fiction:

Mickiewicz
Prus
Gombrowicz
Schultz
Sienkiewicz

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In crime novels, Poland's (modest) list of global translation champions includes Miłoszewski and Krajewski (Death in Breslau!)

In travel writing and reportage, Poland's global brands include

Stasiuk
Szczygieł
Kapuściński

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In fantasy and science fiction, Poland has long punched above its weight with numerous translations of Stanisław Lem (Note Lem Year 2021 celebrations) & Andrzej Sapkowski

In children's literature, Poland's global brands include Mizieliński & Mizielińska and Janusz Korczak

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In philosophy/religious studies and diaries, Poland's top cultural exports include:

The Diary of Rywka Lipszyc
Leszek Kołakowski
Faustyna Kowalska

(Btw, you could not make this up, what a combination)

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In essays and poetry, Poland's global translations list is topped by

Zbigniew Herbert
Czesław Miłosz (Nobel prize winner 1980)
Wisława Szymborska (Nobel 1996)

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Poland does not only speak Polish - this map of ethnic minorities and "regional" language groups shows where Ukrainian, German, Lemko, Lithuanian, Kashubian and Belarusian are spoken (sadly, leaving Silesian out..., as well as "new" languages)

#MotherLanguageDay

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Source: Atlas of Poland's Political Geography, edited by Marcin Wojciech Solarz (2018)

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