Stanisław Baliński na szlakach Mandżurii. O działalności dyplomatycznej poety
Stanisław Baliński on the Trails of Manchuria: On the Poet’s Diplomatic Activity

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the diplomatic activity of the poet Stanisław Baliński in Harbin between 1928 and 1932, drawing on source material excerpted from the Polish expatriate press in Harbin – „Tygodnik Polski” (“The Polish Weekly”) and „Listy Harbińskie” (“Harbin Letters”). Baliński is presented as a versatile figure: diplomat, teacher, cultural organizer, poet, reporter, and social activist. The cited press materials document, among other aspects, his involvement in organizing general education courses, support for a boarding house for Polish children, participation in the activities of the Polish Inn (Gospoda Polska), his reportage work during the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, as well as initiatives aimed at fostering closer relations between Poles and representatives of other national communities residing in Harbin. The article expands biographical knowledge of Baliński, revealing lesser-known facts from his life and reconstructing the everyday realities of the Polish community in Harbin – its efforts to sustain national identity, promote education, and maintain contact with the homeland. It also situates Baliński’s activity within a broader historical context, including the consequences of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, which affected both his diplomatic mission and his later émigré literary output. In this respect, the article serves as a commentary on Wojciech Wencel’s recently published biography Baliński. Smutny młodzieniec [Baliński. The Sad Young Man] and constitutes an important contribution to studies on the presence of Poles in the Far East.

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