Joanna Czechowska Speaks with
Joanna KosmalskaThis interview is part of a literature project DEC-2011/01/B/HS2/05120 financed by the National Science Centre

Czechowska, Joanna

Kosmalska, Joanna

Text Matters

English

Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego (University of Lodz Repository)

JOANNA KOSMALSKA: ??????? ?? ????-ish writer but you have Polish roots. What is your connection to Poland?JOANNA CZECHOWSKA: My father was Polish. He came to the UK dur-????????????????????? ?????????????when the Germans invaded and al-most literally walked across Europe. He headed west through Germany, ????????????????????????????????????in England. Here he joined the air ????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????? ?????????? ??????-ark, Nottinghamshire. Near the end of the war he met my mother ??? ?? ?????? ???? ???????? ????? ?????????????????????????????????????????Derby. Then my father arranged for his mother to come over from War-???????????????????????????????????-ow, had no other children and was living in very sad circumstances.My grandmother had been liv-????????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ????looked after me. She couldn’t speak English, so she spoke Polish to me, ???? ??? ??????? ??? ????? ???????????? ?????? ????????? ???? ?????? ????????????? ????????? ?????? ??????????upset and full of grief. Reportedly, ??????????????????????????????????????her again. My father decided to take me and my family over to Poland to see if it would comfort me. This ??????????????? ????????????????????????? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ??????have been in danger if he’d entered ???? ????????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ????nervous about going back. He was very anti-communist, and he disap-proved of the direction the country had been heading towards.JK:? ????? ????? ????? ????? ? ????-sions of Poland?JC: We stayed with my great uncle in Warsaw. Poland in those days was very different to how it is now. Eve-?????? ???? ?? ????? ????????? ?????????childhood memory of the country is ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????had bullet marks from the war on the outside. Inside, there was just ???? ?????? ?? ???????? ???? ?? ????-room. The beds hung down from the walls. In daytime they would go up and would be put down at night-time. The family had no tel-evision, no car. But they owned Goodbye Polsko, Hello AnglioJoanna Czechowska Speaks with Joanna Kosmalska1?????????????????????? ????????????????????????? ??????????????????????? ??????????????????????? ?????????????? ???????????????? ??????Brought to you by | Uniwersytet LodzkiAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/15 4:29 PM249Joanna Czechowska Speaks with Joanna Kosmalska?? ??????? ? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ????-rate allotment. You had to walk to ?????????????????????????????????????where you could sit in and read. It smelled of fruit and vegetables that they grew. Different countries have different smells. The smell that reminds me of Poland is dill, which is not that popular in Brit-ain, although amazingly where we ????????????????????????????????????in Old English. We went back one more time before my father died in ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????????somebody telling me that the best view of Warsaw is from the top of ???????????????????????????????????there you can’t see the building it-self. But obviously the country has changed so much since then.JK: Have you visited Poland since your childhood?JC:? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ???????? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ?? ?????????????????????????????? ???? ??????????????????????? ???????????????-???????? ????????? ????? ?????????? ??????? ???????? ?? ????????? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ????husband have built this beautiful, open-planned, very Scandinavian-looking house to their own design. ??????????????????????????????????????? ???? ?????????? ????? ??? ??????outs. I’ve never seen anything like that in this country. There are beau-tiful beaches with nice restaurants ???????????????????????????????????-ally lovely city.JK: Do you have any Polish friends living in England?JC:???????????????????????????????generation Poles, whose parents came to England during the war. A lot of my school friends had at least one parent that was Polish. My father and his colleagues start-???????????????????????????????????called Dom Polski. Similar clubs sprang up all around the country. They were founded by Poles who came here during the war. As they couldn’t go home, they established ????????????????????????????????????????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ???????where they lived. The club offered ????????????????????????????????????-ish classes for children, girl guides, ???? ???????? ????????????????? ???-?????? ??????? ??? ???? ????????? ?? ???-???????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ????actively involved in that. JK:? ???? ???? ???? ???? ????????????between the immigration waves of Poles in the UK??JC: Yes, we tend to call them “old Poles” and “new Poles.” The old ones were refugees really. It was ?? ??????? ? ?????????? ??? ?? ???? ???? The estimated number of Polish immigrants????????????????????????????????, and Polish is currently the second most popular language used for communication in the British Isles. The Polish diaspora is much larger if we account for two previous emigration waves, the former in the aftermath of World War II and the latter in ??????????Brought to you by | Uniwersytet LodzkiAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/15 4:29 PM250Joanna Czechowska Speaks with Joanna Kosmalskaways. They escaped the brutal-ity and stayed here because they couldn’t go home, often even for ?? ??????? ????? ??????? ????????? ???come and they had to make the best of it. They worked hard, put down roots, set up their communities and ?????? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ????????????????? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????much about those who emigrated in ??????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????? ??????????have come recently did it voluntar-ily. It’s their choice and they can go ????? ????????????? ????????????????-ferent situation.I’ve heard there is some hostility between the old Poles and the new. There might be some jealousy be-hind it. The old Poles feel that they had no choice but to work hard to ?????????? ?? ?????????? ???? ???? ?????? ?????????????????????????????-rience any suffering and are free to ??? ??????????????????? ??????????interviewed on the Polish radio, we talked about the Polish clubs in London. The interviewer said that they seemed so old-fashioned with the crowned Polish eagle, like ?? ?? ?? ????????? ?????????? ???????????????????????????????????????-land that does not exist anymore, ????????????? ??? ???????????????????????that is no longer connected to the mainstream culture. As to what the young immigrants think of the old ????????????????????? ????????? -????????? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????any of the social groups in the Brit-ish class system. They might be cleaning here but they would have ?? ????????? ???????????????? ??????University. They are doing low-paid jobs but that is not really what they should be doing. Most British peo-ple would be aware of that and ad-mire their bravery to come here.JK: How do the British perceive Polish people?JC: A popular idea is that Polish people are very hardworking and ????????????? ?? ????????? ?? ???-edy sketch on television. The set-????? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????in and starts talking to two work-???????????????????????????????????seems happy with their arrange-ments. The two men speak with ????????????????????????????????????out and they start talking to each other normal English. It turns out they only pretend to be Polish to get the job.?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??????????????????????????????????????????????-pletely new thing, almost revolu-????????? ??? ?? ???????? ???? ??? ????much more familiar with Polish culture. There are Polish shops “Delicatesy” everywhere and we learnt more about their food and drinks. A lot of people really like ???? ????????? ??????? ????? ?????about Polish cakes and lunch meat. ????????????????????????????????-day destination. This old, beautiful city is often compared to Prague.????????????????????? ???????????????tourists sometimes visit Auschwitz. ????????????????? ???? ????? ?????-ger in the resistance. She was caught Brought to you by | Uniwersytet LodzkiAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/15 4:29 PM251Joanna Czechowska Speaks with Joanna Kosmalska?????????????????????? ?????? ??-tion it to people, they assume she ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????-olics who died in the concentration camp.JK: What was an inspiration for your novels The Black Madonna of Derby and Sweetest Enemy?JC:? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ????????????culture of novels about immigrant ??????? ??? ?????????????? ??? ?????-el A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian that came out just be-fore mine. The author of the book, Marina Lewycka, wrote to me ?????????????? ?????????????????????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???-?????????????? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ???????Small Island about black newcom-???????????????????????Brick Lane about Indian immigrants. There are things that link those novels because every human being that comes from one country to another feels lost and isolated. It’s similar for all immigrant communities. But ??????????????????????????????????was written about the group of im-migrants that my father belonged to. The story hasn’t been told and ???????????????????????????????JK: ???? ???????????? ??? ????? ?????novel coincided with the new wave of Polish immigrants. Was it planned?JC: ?????????????????? ???? ????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????? ???????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ????? ??? ???????? ???? ???????? ????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ??????????? ????? ?????? ???????? ????? ?? ????of twists and turns but it all makes ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ??????????????????????????????????????-???????????????????????????????????????????? ???? ?????????? ??? ???????she liked the book and was going ????????????????????????????????????-lisher. It was published under the title Goodbye Polsko?????????????????promotional talks around Gdynia ??????????? ???????????????????????? ?????? ????? ??????????????????at the British Embassy. The English ?????????????????????????JK: What is the story behind the books’ titles?JC: ?? ????????????????????????????????????????????????The Black Madonna. ?????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????????????????? ???????????????? ??????? ??? ???? ?????????????? ?????????built in England after the Reforma-??????????????? ????????????????????-ple of Britain as thanks for giving ??????? ???????????? ?? ????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ??did go to Poland one time to see ?????????????????????????????????????combine Polish and British aspects of the book in the title and call it The Black Madonna of Derby. ????????? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ????????? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ???????Brought to you by | Uniwersytet LodzkiAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/15 4:29 PM252Joanna Czechowska Speaks with Joanna Kosmalskapope was elected. The sequel, Sweet-est Enemy?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ???????????era in Poland and the years of Mar-?????? ??????????????? ?????????????it would be interesting to bring the two countries and the two ideas to-gether with the background of this Polish family, called Baran, who were still living in Derby. We were ????????????????????????????????????-rope, we never thought that would ??????? ?????????? ?????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????we realized. The title Sweetest En-emy hints at key antagonisms illu-minated in the novel. One of them ??? ?? ???????? ????????????? ????????the two main characters, Zosia and Wanda. They are sisters who have very different points of view on life. Because of it, they are enemies but they love each other, too. They are the sweetest enemy to each other. ?????? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ?????who are opposed to each other. On ???????????????????????????????????-lationship, on the other an antago-????????????????????????????????????-en it to the connection of the Baran family with the two countries. They ???????????????????????????????????their life is in England. The parting ????????????????????????????????????“Love” and “hate” like “sweet” and “sorrow” don’t really go together. ????????????????????????????JK: What part does language play in the books? Have you tried to mir-ror the way Polish people speak?JC: ????????? ?????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????????????????????????????????????????-guishes immigrants. You wouldn’t necessarily know that they are dif-ferent if it wasn’t for their language ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ????????? ?????? ????? ?? ????????? ????????? ??? ????book that somebody is speaking an-?????? ??????????????????? ?? ????????about changing the typeface to make it seem different. But it didn’t look right. In the end I’ve just used about four Polish words, which, of course, no English person would ????????????????????????????????????in context, the readers would work ????????????????????????????????????these four words in to indicate that ???????????????????????????????????-ferent language.?????? ??? ?? ??????????? ?????? ??? ????book where language becomes ???????????????????????????????????-taurant. They are opposed because one celebrates her Polish herit-age while the other denies it. They ???????? ???????????????? ???? ????????but when they meet the elder sister would just speak English while the younger one will only speak Polish. ???????????????????????????????????generation who would start to reject their culture. Parents would speak to them Polish and they would answer English. The mother wouldn’t give in on speaking Polish, and the child wouldn’t give in on speaking Eng-lish. I’ve taken that scene and made ???????????????????????????????????????the youngest child in the family, the boy, who forgets Polish altogether.Brought to you by | Uniwersytet LodzkiAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/15 4:29 PM253Joanna Czechowska Speaks with Joanna KosmalskaJK: What sources did you depend on while writing your novels?JC:? ?? ???? ??? ????????? ???????????events to make them accurate. ?? ??????? ??? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ??-search because it was not meant to ??? ?? ?????????? ???? ??????? ???? ??-tertainment. The hardest challenge ???? ??? ??? ??? ???? ????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ??????????????????????????????????????? ?of the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, was released. The eldest grand-?????????? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???the right age to be interested in the band. It was quite complicated to make everyone the right age for ???? ???????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ??????????????????????????????????? ???????background, and you have to get it right. Historical facts should be as accurate as possible to make people ???????? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ??????????? ??????? ????? ?? ????????? ????????????????? ?????????? ???? ????-???????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????????????????????????????????????it’s nice that people believe it.JK: Thank you for taking your time to talk to me.  WORKS CITED?????????? ????????????????????????????????????????? ????????? ??????????-ish Residents. ???? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ??????????Brought to you by | Uniwersytet LodzkiAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/15 4:29 PM

Goodbye Polsko, Hello Anglio

Joanna Czechowska Speaks with

Joanna Kosmalsk

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

http://dspace.uni.lodz.pl:8080/xmlui/bitstream/11089/8528/1/text_matters_vol4_2014_248_253.pdf

Goodbye Polsko, Hello Anglio

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Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego (University of Lodz Repository)

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

Goodbye Polsko, Hello Anglio

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego (University of Lodz Repository)

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w