This is the English version of an article first published in Polish: read the Polish original. It refers to source material: wilanow.um.warszawa.pl. The text is our own commentary, not a translation or copy of that source.
Wilanów is joining the fifteenth edition of National Reading. This year Poles across the country are reading Adam Mickiewicz's "Forefathers' Eve," and the nationwide finale falls on Saturday, September 5, under the patronage of the President and the First Lady. A day earlier, on Friday, September 4 at 6:30 PM, Wilanów Library is hosting its own edition of the event at its main branch on ul. Kolegiacka 3.
The local gathering is titled "Forefathers' Eve: words that wake the spirits," and it will not be a plain classroom reading of a school text. Excerpts from the drama will be read by Wiesław Komasa, Łukasz Borkowski, Jakub Kordas and Katarzyna Skarżanka, joined by pianist Aleksandra Bobrowska, who prepared musical interpretations for the text and will also take part in the reading. Instead of a standard Polish literature lesson, the evening aims for something closer to a séance: the rhythm, tension and dark mystery of Mickiewicz's drama, carried by live music.
Why Forefathers' Eve
This year's choice of text is not accidental. "Forefathers' Eve" is one of the foundations of Polish Romanticism, a work about ancestor rites, restless spirits and a love that does not end with separation, so it lends itself well to being read aloud by actors able to capture its dark, at times mystical tone. National Reading is a presidential initiative running for over a decade, joined every year by hundreds of libraries, schools and cultural institutions across Poland, and Wilanów Library takes part regularly.
Residents of Wilanów already know the address at ul. Kolegiacka 3 for other reasons. The same building houses the local community police office, and over the summer the library also ran a workshop series for seniors with a physiotherapist. September's reading of Forefathers' Eve is another reason to stop by the same spot, this time in the evening.
The exact rules of participation, including whether advance sign up is needed, are updated by the library on its own channels. Anyone who wants to check before leaving home can call +48 22 277 03 77 or write to wilanow@bibliotekawilanowska.pl.
