Education
In the Polish system of education we have obligatory classes in Polish language and literature both in primary school as in high school, which shouldn't surprise anyone. What could be surprising is that during these classes we not only study Polish literature but world literature as well. The scope is quite broad - ranging from translations of ancient texts to books written in the last century. There has always been a list of books which teachers had to discuss with the students during these classes. However, the teachers were left with quite a lot of discretion and could often substitute one book with another (from among the ones on the list) - adjusting the list to their students needs.
New idea of the Polish government: make changes in the list of books that students are obliged to read by not leaving any discretion for the teachers - thus making the list much, much shorter.
It's simply insane. They intend to cut out some of the more original Polish writers of the last century (Gombrowicz - who criticized blind devotion to everything that's traditionally Polish and whose works are anti-nationalistic; Witkacy - who supposedly is not a good role model for children since he wrote while being high; Herling-Grudzinski - whose memoirs about the time he spent in Russian gulag are one of the most tragic books I've ever read). Plus they limited the foreign literature on the list quite substantially. There will be no: Dostoevsky (he hated anything Polish?), Goethe (cause he's German?), Joseph Conrad (he was Polish but wrote in English?). I have no idea what could have been the fault of Camus or Kafka but they are out from the list as well. And since they added new Polish authors to the list (e.g. one wrote a biography of the Pope John Paul II) - they obviously didn't need to cut out all these masterpieces from the list.
I really, really am afraid that I won't recognize my country in twenty years or so...
New idea of the Polish government: make changes in the list of books that students are obliged to read by not leaving any discretion for the teachers - thus making the list much, much shorter.
It's simply insane. They intend to cut out some of the more original Polish writers of the last century (Gombrowicz - who criticized blind devotion to everything that's traditionally Polish and whose works are anti-nationalistic; Witkacy - who supposedly is not a good role model for children since he wrote while being high; Herling-Grudzinski - whose memoirs about the time he spent in Russian gulag are one of the most tragic books I've ever read). Plus they limited the foreign literature on the list quite substantially. There will be no: Dostoevsky (he hated anything Polish?), Goethe (cause he's German?), Joseph Conrad (he was Polish but wrote in English?). I have no idea what could have been the fault of Camus or Kafka but they are out from the list as well. And since they added new Polish authors to the list (e.g. one wrote a biography of the Pope John Paul II) - they obviously didn't need to cut out all these masterpieces from the list.
I really, really am afraid that I won't recognize my country in twenty years or so...