I found this book online and wanted to share it.
Poland, The Knight Among Nations
It is a digitalized copy that you can read online. The book was written by Louis E. Van Norman. This is the Second Edition, Copyright 1907. While Poland was still Partitioned.
The Sarmation Review of Poland, The Knight Among Nations
I have not yet read it myself, but thought that it was interesting and wanted to share with you. I plan on reading it myself over the next few weeks. Perhaps we can have a discussion on it after reading it.
Na razie...
A Mama born in Poland with "Gypsy Blood" living on the American Prairie with her daughters, two future Miss Poland and Nobel Peace prize recipients :: Food, Travel, Life...
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
14 March 2012
08 February 2012
Word(y) Wednesday: We Learned English
I'm sentimental. I keep objects around me that remind me, give me strength.
These are the books I remember my parents pouring over at the dining room table, pencil and small notepads in hand. Copying down words, sounding them out, writing them in sentences, erasing, rewriting.
Asking me if I knew a word once I was in school.
Writing and rewriting on small pieces of paper, checkered with blue lines. The typical paper on which letters were written and mailed back and forth between family in Poland. Letters that took one month to arrive to the USA, another month for the reply to be delivered in Poland.
My Tato (father) took a few English language classes for free after we came here. My mother didn't. Both poured themselves into Amerikan television, repeating sentences. Reading books borrowed from the library, found at yard sales, anywhere we could get them.
Stumbling over computer programming books written in English when computers first came out, because my Tato said that it "is the future"-even when others laughed at such a silly idea as computers.
Playing Rolling Stone songs and singing along. Trying and trying and trying again.
To learn English because we came to Amerika. We wanted to success, to be able to eat better food than boiled white rice, one extremely cheap piece of chicken or hot dog per person, a can of vegetables split between a family of four.
We wanted a hard earned piece of the Amerikan Dream. And the Amerikan Dream didn't involve anyone learning Polish for our benefit. It involved us learning English. Or else living in poverty forever with no future at all.
I look at those books and remember struggle. Persistence. Tears of frustration. Stumbled words. Trying and trying again.
Accents that I didn't hear because to me, they weren't accents. It's how we spoke.
I look at those books and I know all we lost and all we gained.
I would look up at Church and read the PNCC motto "With Truth, Work, and Struggle, We Will Succeed" and feel it deep in my heart because I knew it was true.
I know we are strong.
Na razie...
Related Posts:
My Feet in Two Worlds, The Brutally Honest Truth of It
Bigger Picture Moments: Soft Boiled Eggs and a Reminder of a World of Love
Another Immigrant Family
Our Life Changing Anniversary
My husband says I'm a pack rat. But I use these items. They aren't clutter that sit collecting dust, having no value to anyone at all.
One of the things I love to collect are books. I have 4 full sized bookcases filled with books.
Some of the books I have a special place for are the books that remind me of our coming to Amerika.
These are the books I remember my parents pouring over at the dining room table, pencil and small notepads in hand. Copying down words, sounding them out, writing them in sentences, erasing, rewriting.
Asking me if I knew a word once I was in school.
Writing and rewriting on small pieces of paper, checkered with blue lines. The typical paper on which letters were written and mailed back and forth between family in Poland. Letters that took one month to arrive to the USA, another month for the reply to be delivered in Poland.
My Tato (father) took a few English language classes for free after we came here. My mother didn't. Both poured themselves into Amerikan television, repeating sentences. Reading books borrowed from the library, found at yard sales, anywhere we could get them.
Stumbling over computer programming books written in English when computers first came out, because my Tato said that it "is the future"-even when others laughed at such a silly idea as computers.
Playing Rolling Stone songs and singing along. Trying and trying and trying again.
To learn English because we came to Amerika. We wanted to success, to be able to eat better food than boiled white rice, one extremely cheap piece of chicken or hot dog per person, a can of vegetables split between a family of four.
We wanted a hard earned piece of the Amerikan Dream. And the Amerikan Dream didn't involve anyone learning Polish for our benefit. It involved us learning English. Or else living in poverty forever with no future at all.
I look at those books and remember struggle. Persistence. Tears of frustration. Stumbled words. Trying and trying again.
Accents that I didn't hear because to me, they weren't accents. It's how we spoke.
I look at those books and I know all we lost and all we gained.
I would look up at Church and read the PNCC motto "With Truth, Work, and Struggle, We Will Succeed" and feel it deep in my heart because I knew it was true.
I know we are strong.
Na razie...
Related Posts:
My Feet in Two Worlds, The Brutally Honest Truth of It
Bigger Picture Moments: Soft Boiled Eggs and a Reminder of a World of Love
Another Immigrant Family
Our Life Changing Anniversary
22 August 2011
Books for Polish American Children: Janina Domanska
The school year is about to start and my older daughter is now beginning to read. For us, it is time to start going through her little 3 bookshelf library and acquire new books for her.
I've always been told that a part of a child's library should include stories that will inspire them for life, not just books that will interest them for now.
Janina Domanska, who passed away 16 years ago, was an author and illustrator of many such books. Her style tended to involve Polish folk art and was beautifully done.
I would highly recommend any of her books for parents looking to inspire their Polish American children, both for the beauty of the artwork and for the stories themselves, many of which were adapted from Polish folktales.
Some of her books to look for:
"If All the Seas Were One" (1971)
"King Krakus and the Dragon" (1979)
"The Best of the Bargain" (1977)
"The Trumpeter of Krakow" (1966, as illustrator)
"Din Dan Don It's Christmas," (1975)
Personally, I am going to be purchasing several of her books over the next few months, as I remember reading "If All the Seas Were One" as a child and really loving the story as well as the art.
According to the official Publisher page for Janina Domanska, several of her books are now available as ebooks as well.
I hope you enjoy!
Na razie...
I've always been told that a part of a child's library should include stories that will inspire them for life, not just books that will interest them for now.
Janina Domanska, who passed away 16 years ago, was an author and illustrator of many such books. Her style tended to involve Polish folk art and was beautifully done.
I would highly recommend any of her books for parents looking to inspire their Polish American children, both for the beauty of the artwork and for the stories themselves, many of which were adapted from Polish folktales.
Some of her books to look for:
"If All the Seas Were One" (1971)
"King Krakus and the Dragon" (1979)
"The Best of the Bargain" (1977)
"The Trumpeter of Krakow" (1966, as illustrator)
"Din Dan Don It's Christmas," (1975)
Personally, I am going to be purchasing several of her books over the next few months, as I remember reading "If All the Seas Were One" as a child and really loving the story as well as the art.
According to the official Publisher page for Janina Domanska, several of her books are now available as ebooks as well.
I hope you enjoy!
Na razie...
27 July 2011
17 June 2011
Weeping Willows and A Rusalka
As long as I remember, I always wanted a house near a creek with a Weeping Willow (in Polish, "Wierzba płacząca", as my blogger friend Mom Photographer reminded me in Wierzba, which literally translates into "Crying Willow") leaning over the water.
Even after my mother would tell me with a smile that I would have to watch out for the ghost.
The ghost she was talking about was a Rusalka.
A female ghost with either golden hair, like the bare branches of a Weeping Willow in wintertime, or green, like the branches during summer. Who drowned either because an evil deed or suicide from being pregnant out of wedlock. Or even possibly being born out of wedlock and therefor, unbaptised.
A Rusalka, like Eveshka from C.J. Cherryl's Rusalka. I have owned a paperback copy of this book since middle school and have read it so often that the book has fallen apart. It holds a special place on my bookshelf, between Secret Garden and Quo Vadis.
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A Rusalka, such as the one the Opera with the same name is about. Yes, I love opera and I hope to one day see this particular one live. Although, I doubt it will ever happen.
My older daughter now knows about the Rusalka and when we see Wierzbi, she wonders if there is a Rusalka hiding in the cold dark pool of water around the roots. I tell her to never wander over there without me. But that probably there is no Rusalka.
After all, I don't know whether Rusalki are only on the European continent or if they are all over the world. But, better not to chance it.
And definitely best not to walk around a Wierzba alone at night.
I still want a house with a creek running past it and a Weeping Willow leaning over the creek.
Even after my mother would tell me with a smile that I would have to watch out for the ghost.
The ghost she was talking about was a Rusalka.
A female ghost with either golden hair, like the bare branches of a Weeping Willow in wintertime, or green, like the branches during summer. Who drowned either because an evil deed or suicide from being pregnant out of wedlock. Or even possibly being born out of wedlock and therefor, unbaptised.
A Rusalka, like Eveshka from C.J. Cherryl's Rusalka. I have owned a paperback copy of this book since middle school and have read it so often that the book has fallen apart. It holds a special place on my bookshelf, between Secret Garden and Quo Vadis.
A Rusalka, such as the one the Opera with the same name is about. Yes, I love opera and I hope to one day see this particular one live. Although, I doubt it will ever happen.
My older daughter now knows about the Rusalka and when we see Wierzbi, she wonders if there is a Rusalka hiding in the cold dark pool of water around the roots. I tell her to never wander over there without me. But that probably there is no Rusalka.
After all, I don't know whether Rusalki are only on the European continent or if they are all over the world. But, better not to chance it.
And definitely best not to walk around a Wierzba alone at night.
I still want a house with a creek running past it and a Weeping Willow leaning over the creek.
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