Promotion of the Bibliophile Edition of Gustaw Herling-Grudziński’s Three Neapolitan Stories at the National Library - News - The National Library

Welcoming the gathered guests, Dr. Tomasz Makowski, Director of the National Library of Poland, emphasized the significance of this edition of the three-story volume, published on the eightieth anniversary of the first printed edition of Herling-Grudziński’s debut book, The Living and the Dead.

– “Herling the Prophet” was the headline published in Corriere della Sera. Marta Herling and I agreed that this is the right motto under which we may celebrate and recall the writer’s legacy. The National Library is a special place, because it was here, in cooperation with Lidia Croce-Herling, the widow of Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, and with Marta Herling, that we prepared the inventory of the writer’s entire archive – said Dr. Tomasz Makowski, Director of the National Library, thanking all those involved in this work.

The bibliophile edition Three Neapolitan Stories / Tre racconti napoletani includes translations (Polish and Italian) of the writer’s stories: The Bridge. From the Chronicle of Our City, The Miracle, and The Ring. Its artistic complement is a set of seven large illustrations on foldout pages, designed by Krzysztof Rumowski.

The publication, issued by the UMCS Press in cooperation with the Research Unit on the Literary Institute in Paris at UMCS, is a re-edition of three stories in which the author addresses profound moral and existential questions related to alienation, the nature of suffering, and the search for the sacred in a world marked by evil. Herling-Grudziński fills his texts with reflection on the human condition and, by delving into the very fabric of the city, reaches into the traditions, legends, and history of Naples – a place to which he was connected for 45 years of his life.

The discussion about the book and the author’s work featured special guest Marta Herling, the writer’s daughter; Professor Iwona Hofman, Director of the Institute of Social Communication and Media Sciences at UMCS and Head of the Research Unit on the Literary Institute in Paris at UMCS; and Professor Rafał Habielski, historian.

The panel discussion offered an opportunity to talk about Herling-Grudziński’s fascination with the culture and history of Naples, as well as his multifaceted literary legacy, which includes – not only the discussed volume of stories – but also the writer’s classic works: A World Apart, The Tower and Other Stories, and his rich diaries.

After the discussion, the film A Page from Another World, directed by Jan Sosiński, was screened, broadening the context of the issues addressed during the meeting. The film is also available online. It should be emphasized that the screenplay was written by Andrzej Mietkowski, who recently took up the position of the Director’s Plenipotentiary at the National Library of Poland for the acquisition and donation of library materials.

The film expands our knowledge of the writer, his sensitivity, and the distinct personalities of Lidia Croce-Herling and Marta Herling. The commentary by the writer’s daughter and Andrzej Mietkowski – the film’s co-originators – was inspired by a note that Herling-Grudziński received from one of the prisoners while leaving the labor camp. The discovery of this note in the writer’s archive prompted Marta Herling to search for the descendants of the Gulag prisoner.

We also encourage readers to explore the materials published on the Year of Gustaw Herling-Grudziński website, dedicated to this outstanding writer and emigre publicist, a prisoner of Soviet labor camps, a participant in the Battle of Monte Cassino, a co-creator of the Paris-based Kultura, and one of the most important Polish writers of the second half of the 20th century.