Jerzy Owsiak was always a colorful person. A quicksilver character who could never find a place for himself. He attempted to study various subjects from philosophy to the arts, evaded military service by faking mental illness and in the process became so interested in mental health that he become certified psychotherapists. He is also certified […]
society
Is Poland really a Catholic country?
Poland abroad is perceived as a deeply Catholic country. Bishops present at every state celebration, consecrating of every new build place – from universities to public toilets… But is that picture true? How it really looks when it comes to everyday people? To examine this we have, again, to come back in Polish history. Poland […]
Why there are demonstrations in today’s Poland
On Polish Facebook one internet meme became very popular in recent days. In the background we can see a picture of recent riots, small crying kid is comforted by his mom. „Don’t be afraid, son, they are just patriots”. That’s true, recent events in Warsaw scared many Poles. But when asked by a foreigner what […]
Two sad movies about happiness
“Return of the idiot” (“Návrat idiota”) and “Something like happiness” (“Štěstí“) are two movies dealing with the interpersonal relations. In both of them the viewer follow a group of Czech people from the small city, who live their ordinary lives and try to find happiness. Although at first sight both movies appear very similar (even the […]
Milan Kundera and the West
Milan Kundera is a writer who sits astride between the West and Eastern Europe. Being born in Brno he spent his first half of life in Czechoslovakia. Since 1975 he has been living in France. His work life can be divided into two parts, demarcating two different periods – before and after immigration. This unique […]
Role of Russian settlers communities in the consolidation of Soviet Union and it’s impact upon national identity development
For centuries, Russian settlement expanded the Russian empire. Settlers assimilated nations on the frontiers of the Empire. Huge areas of unpopulated land in Central Asia provided space for everyone to live beside each other, but the influence of Russian modern culture on their neighbours was overwhelmingly strong. Colonisation of Western borderlands was much more difficult […]