St Marys High School - Salute Yearbook (New Baltimore, MI)

Page 125 text:

lmerican Poetry American born or bred poets of Polish parentage writing in English are few in number. Yet though their ranks be small, their contributions command attention. They bring with them a new interest and a fresh energizing spirit into American literature, of which they are a real though a small part. Until the end of World War I, English poetry written by Polish Americans consisted mainly of translations from the Polish poets done by refugees like J. Podbielski and P. Sobolewski, the latter in 1881 editing THE POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND. Several original poems, nostalgic or defiant in senti- ment, came from the pens of the exiles, A. Jaku- bowski and J. Allen, and from Chicago's prolific Teo- lila, Samolinska who, however, wrote chiefly in Polish. In the 1920's appeared the first collection of origi- nal English poems authored by a youthful Polish- American. DEAF WALLS by Philadelphia-born Ed- mund Kowalewski was a work of unusual promise, auguring much for the youthful and talented poet, from whom unfortunately no more has been heard. In 1934 appeared AGAINST DEATH IN SPRING by Alan Edward Symanski. Born in Grand Rapids, Symanski sang with Slavic poignancy of Krakow's ancient glamour, of the Black Madonna and the Warsaw Beggar, of Black Bread and the Immigrant. He spoke also of Michigan autumn, the Tennis Match and the Fourth Province. In 1934 the Chicago Polish Arts Club published a. bilingual volume of verse containing Polish and English selections entitled ANTOLOGIA POEZJI POLSKO-AMERYKANSKIEJ. The latter, drawn largely from magazines and newspapers, include ori- ginal poems by Bertha Czosnek, Irene Jaworski, Mira Kosicka, Theodora Pawelski and Hedwig Baran. Other magazine contributors since are: Joseph Cherwinski, Anthony Misiukiewicz, Mary Dunaj, Fe- licia Cetkowski and Edith Piotrowski. Perhaps the most important in this group is Iowan Raymond Kre- senski, author of numerous religious verses and of the volume, EMMAUS. Minnesota-bred Victora Janda with her two vol- umes of original poems - WALLS OF THE SPACE 119457 and STAR HUNGER 119437 - is today per- haps the leading Polish-American poet. In a style reminiscent of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Janda echocs Symanski's nostalgic cry for Polan'd's lore of legend. history, song , but more often she sings of her Minne- sota countryside. Interesting too is her use of ang- licized Polish words like Shelest for their onomoto- poeic value. Also in 1945, the youthful Polish-American Klub Polski at Columbia University published its second anthology of verse and prose translated from Polish. THE WAYSIDE WILLOW, especially the verse trans- lations by Theodore Plucinski, George Szymanski, Filomena Dabal, Janet Narolska, Antoinette Slowin- ska, Charlotte Saikowska and the Bielawski sisters, is a welcome companion to THE POLISH LAND is- sued in 1943. In summary, perhaps the main characteristic of this Polonian contribution to American poetry is its bicultural quality. The poetry on the one hand re- flects the restless American environment in which the poets move, and on the other shows a keen aware- ness of the authors' share in their Polish heritage. Perhaps in the near future a poet will also appear to sing the rich and varied lore locked in the heavy chests of the POLONIA AMERYKANSKA itself. gywin. Wgdzagf

Page 124 text:

The lion's share of Polish-American prose is in Polish. and much of the English portion lwhich is our exclusive concern hereb belongs to non-literary writing. But in any event, whatever its character, this prose has an importance over and beyond its rhetorical quality: as the product of American born or bred writers of Polish origin. it possesses an his- torical and sociological value for students of cultural interaction. Illinois-born Frederick Schwatka 11842-921 is per- haps the first American author of Polish parentage to write in English. His descriptive volumes. parti- cularly NIMROD OF THE NORTH and ALONG ALASKA'S GREAT RIVER, enjoyed wide popularity. Marya de Mankowski, Houston-born, seems to be the first Polonian translator. Her translations of J. Jasienczyk's TEN YEARS IN COSSACK SLAVERY and B. Prus' PHARAOH were avidly read in the early 1900's. Another early translator was Max A. Drezmal, who Englished Sienkiewicz's WHIRLPOOL and IN DESERT AND WILDERNESS before World War I. The real beginnings of Polish-American literary activity date from the late Twenties. American-reared Leocadia Popowska won the 1927 Harper Intercol- legiate Literary Prize with her short-story novel, THE LIVING SAND. In 1937 Minnesota-born Monica Krawczyk wrote a prize-winning novel NO MAN ALONE, following it up with QUILTS and a stream of short stories and articles. In 1941, American-trained Joan Konopka published DUST OF OUR BROTHERS' BLOOD. Most popular among the male writers of fiction is Joseph Marshall tlirechniakj, regular contributor to several national magazines. In 1943, Richard Hu- zarski published BRUSHLAND BILL, a novel of the Wisconsin northwoods. Most recently critical ae- claim has greeted Walter Karig's realistic novel LOWER THAN ANGEL and Joseph Wedda's JASNA POLANA. Within the last decade article writing has also found increasing numbers of devotees. Popular maga- zine articles have been coming from the pens of A. Bielaski, Bernard Adamkiewicz, Demaree Bess 4Be- rezniakb. H. Rosinski 1Miles3, James Dombrowski, Edward Falkowski, Arthur Bromirski, Stanley Vish- newski, Thaddeus Slesinski, Al Antczak, Francis Go- stomski, William Holubowicz, John Tedlowski and others. Contributions in a more serious vein have come from Paul Studenski, Frank J. Drobka, Frank T. Nowak, Alphonse Wolanin and Sigmund Uminski. Perhaps the largest contribution made by a single social group of Americans of Polish descent to Polish- American prose is that of the clergy, from whom have come numerous theological, philosophical, his- torical, scientific, devotional, and literary works - books and articles. An incomplete list of these American-born or trained priest-writers of Polish P01145 Pro e WHIRLPOOLS Ikouldvodfrupdmd n HENBYK SIESKIEWICZ Nm uf -'rms nm U.. N... -'nl ulm.: A sw. umm' -cms... .., m mt' . nl...-M no tn nxsurrf. nm: Aux L vnu! I N N 4 ' . nos r 0 s Lirrw.. awww, no w-inn mm 1 1 TURNING To sou i'Bllf0fIl'1FBf'f ffS X Mmm ,mm on centerline ' 8 tmjpmm I mm mfwxurn, snowman . N KW' 2 1 is ' ' 'Bff,'iT.15 A . Q Trstwxrfx Mar r-nm - rtxon,-. V ' il.-wmv www: ws-uf. ms W - origin includes such names as: John Zybura, John Rolbiecki, Edward Betowski, Edward Dworaczyk, Aloysius Biskupek, Stanislaus Woywood Qwojewodai. Cyril Piontek, Leo Pyzalski, Felix Seroczynski, John Pawelski, Anthony J. Zielinski. John Mix, Stanislaus Grabowski, Chester Ropella, Joseph Swastek, Joseph Przudzik, Antonine Bochenski, Samuel Bonikowski, Maurice Grajewski, Jerome Pokorny, Stanley Matu- szewski, A. Zychlinski, Stanley Borucki and others. One of the most encouraging recent developments in Polish-American writing circles has been an in- creasing awareness of the literary possibilities in- herent within the Polonian community itself. Soon perhaps short stories, novels and articles will start appearing, making known to all America the drama- tic riches that today lie largely untouched and un- exploited. CZLAUPII Yfmfizza

Page 126 text:

if-v Flight to Egypt S. M. Fabia, l7oliAlc P in ting There is validity for the phrase Polish-American Painting: not in the sense that there exists a spe- cial school or technique, but in so far as there ara- Americans of Polish stock, born in the United States, who have won artistic distinction. Perhaps the most promising Polish-American artist is New York-born Pulitzer prize winner Sig- mund Kozlow iliozlowskib. whose impressionist land- scapes, The Country Road and The Covered Bridge have won warm praise. Other American- born painters of Polish ancestry are: The securely established Makielski brothers - Leo, sensitive por- traitist, and Bronislav, talented landscapist whose Clouds and Cypresses are in the Detroit Institute of Artg the robustly original Jozef Bakos whose Santa Fe Canyon reposes in the Whitney Museum: the pleasingly unassuming Stanley Twardowicz whose Shoemaker W6jcik promises much. Rudolf Pen. Michael Reducki, Vetold Pasternacki. Boleslav Ja- blecki, Stefan Bielaski, Peter Dubaniewicz, Edmund Lewandowski and Antoni Hunter complete this talent- ed group. Less known but equally interesting are the paint- ings of Polish-American women. Delicately spiritual- ized is The Flight to Egypt by the recently de- ceased student of Jan Styka, Sister Mary Fabia, Feli- cian. The expressive portraits - and especially that of Pius XII - by Sister Mary Stanisia. S. S. N. D.. and the poetic still-life studies of Chic-ago's Jadwigzx Krawiec also exercise a real appeaL Among Polish-born but American-bred artists, Theodore Roszak, winner of seven art institute scholarships, and Chicago's Walter Krawiec are most versatile Warsaw-born, Boston-bred Janina Federkic- wicz ranks first among the women. Perhaps the most significant development among Polish-American painters today is that expressed by Sigmund Kozlow: As an American with a Polish background, I would like to show the beauty of Polish folk art to the people of America . Prof. W. Pawlowski Shoemaker Wojcik L. Makielski S. J. Twardowicz , W f n ffm- ilu ouufi Clouds Covered Bridge Santa Fe Canyon B. Makielski S. Kozlow J. Bakos