National Reading vote closes on Wednesday

Launched six years ago with an aim to promote Polish literary classics and the beauty of the written word, the 2017 edition of the presidential chancellery’s initiative has shortlisted literary works by four renowned Polish authors and put them to a public vote.

The shortlisted books are Stefan Żeromski’s 1924 Przedwiośnie (The Coming Spring), Henryk Rzewuski’s 1839 Pamiątki Soplicy (The Memoirs of Soplica), an 1841 poem by Juliusz Słowacki called Bieniowski, and The Wedding, a 1901 play by Stanisław Wyspiański.

According to President Andrzej Duda, the books are “important to us, Poles” and share “common themes, excellent Polish language, and, above all, they are significant in forming the national identity”.

Votes can be cast via email, Facebook and at the president’s website, prezydent.pl.

The winning book will be revealed during International Mother Language Day on 21 February.

In 2016, the winner of the National Reading poll was Henryk Sienkiewicz’s Quo Vadis, a 1895 novel set in the decadent Rome of Emperor Nero, which was translated into 50 languages. The book's promotion included public readings, with excerpts read by the president and First Lady in Warsaw. (vb/pk)