The meeting with Weronika Kostyrko the author of the book about Pola Nirenska – moderator: Jolanta Prochowicz.
The biography of Pola Nireńska is a story about an artist, born in Jewish Warsaw,
who was dancing at the times of German, Austrian and Italian totalitarianism. A story
about a woman who experienced antisemitism in prewar Poland. She lost almost
the whole family in the process of extermination. After the War she married Jan Karski,the Righteous among the Nations. The story is also about stubborn overcoming of successive
barriers on the way to freedom and independence. About love and friendships
with world-famous artists. About the mystery of the tragic death in 1992.
The work on this book led the author to Washington, New York, California, London,
Florence, Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Vienna and Tel Aviv. In the US she managed to
meet the last witnesses of Nireńska and Karski’s life, in Israel – members of her family,
in seven countries she found unpublished letters and documents. In less than three
years a unique portrait of the artist was created at the background of the turbulent era.
Weronika Kostyrko worked for 20 years in „Gazeta Wyborcza” – successively as a parliamentary
reporter, editor of the political department, correspondent from Germany,
editor of the foreign department, founder and editor-in-chief of „Wysokie Obcasy”, editor
of the culture section, as well as „Gazeta Świąteczna”. From 2012 to 2016, she was
the editor-in-chief of Adam Mickiewicz Culture.pl. In the 1980s she studied German,
Dutch and art history at the University of Warsaw, today she teaches journalism
at Collegium Civitas. She speaks German, English, Italian and Dutch.
Jolanta Prochowicz – philologist, philosopher, activist for Human Rights, cultural
animator. She works in the „Homo Faber” Association and also in the Congress of Women
Association. She is the originator and co-organizer of „Demakijaż. Festival of Women’s
Cinema”, she co-organizes also the Lublin edition of the „Watchdocs. Human Rights
in Film” and „One Billion Rising” campaign. She runs walking tours around Lublin,
meetings with authors, organizes scientific conferences, workshops and discussions.