O (politycznych) mechanizmach selekcji tekstów literackich dla czytelnika zagranicznego
Political Mechanisms of the Selection of Literary Texts for Foreign Readers

Example of the Monthly Polska: czasopismo ilustrowane in the 1950s

Summary/Abstract: The monthly "Polska: czasopismo ilustrowane" [Poland: an illustrated magazine] was created in 1954 as a tool to promote the achievements of the People’s Republic of Poland abroad. It was translated into English, French, Spanish, German and Russian. The article presents an analysis of the mechanisms of the selection of literary texts for the magazine in the context of changes that took place in the country’s socio-political life in the 1950s. The freedom of choice allowed to the publishers remained within the limits defined by the authorities. The selection of texts depended, among others, on their authors’ state awards and on the plain fact that they had been formerly accepted for printing in the domestic market. The „thaw” in Poland led to changes in the way of selecting texts in the monthly. From 1956, the magazine began to present previously banned authors, who criticized the political system and wrote works in opposition to socialist realism. However, the propaganda goals of the authorities were not abandoned. The orientation of the contents was supposed to show the authorities of the People’s Republic of Poland in a positive light, discredit the government in exile and emphasize the friendship between Poland and the USSR.

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