Life / Sexual culture in Poland [66]

[Moved from]: Doctor Kurkiewicz - A pioneer of Polish sexuology

The online version of the weekly Polityka presents interesting article about doctor Kurkiewicz, a pioneer of Polish sexology. Unfortunately, the article is in Polish only. I would not even consider translating it, since it is full of funny slavic neologisms. A good challenge for some language experts here, though.

Here is a short excerpt:


polityka.pl/historia/1514802,1,pionier-polskiej-seksuologii.read

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]

Krynski


x2
Also available online, 1Mb pdf file.
But be prepared for some "culture shock" and a (stylized?) peasant dialect from NE Poland. Here is a sample from the first page:

Jesienio gospodarze wstajo długo, po trochu, posmakować lubio. Jakby taki był, co by widział przez ściany i przez ciemno, to on by może i widział co gospodarze robio jak koguty w sieniach odśpiewajo im trzecie pobudkę.

Przecknąwszy sie oczow nie odmykajo, leżo, leżo sobie pod pierzynami jak bochenki w piecach, jak w gniazdach jajka pod kurami, każdy rozgrzany, rozpalony, baba jemu do pleców przylipła, dycha w szyje aż parzy, w nogach ciepło, w łokciach ciepło, pod pachami ciepło, aj dobrze, żaden nie ruszy sie, nie drygnie, żeb tego swojego przytuliska, ciepliska Broń Boże nie zruszyć, leży, poleży, jeszcze trochu, troszku, aj nie chce sie z gniazda ciepłego wyłazić. Ale to że tam dzieś słonko sie ocknęło i czas wstawać, świdruje to, poszturchuje.

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]

Take it easy! The term "culture shock", when used in some silly context, quite often makes me laugh and this is why I put it in quotes.

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]

Here is a little pearl, which I discovered last year in a local store:
F. Antoni Ossendowski, Huculszczyzna, Gorgany i Czarnohora, Cuda Polski, reprint on the basis of the first edition, Wydawnictwo Polskie, Poznań [1936]

[The entire series of "Cuda Polski" used to be banned from Polish libraries during the communism]

Antoni Ferdynand Ossendowski (1876-1945) was the second author, after Sieńkiewicz, having the largest number of translations into foreign languages (142 translations in 19 languages ). Highly original, colorful character, having an exceptionally turbulent life. The writer, thinker-futurologist, journalist and editor of several journals, a passionate hunter, wildlife expert, explorer-globetrotter, doctor of Chemical Sciences, professor of many universities, a member of the French Academy. At some point in his life, a revolutionary activist and strong opponent of the Bolsheviks. He was the author of four volumes published in the series "Miracles of Poland": Huculszczyzna, Gorgany and Czarnohora; the Carpathians and the Subcarpathia; Polesie and the Wild Forests of Poland. [Translated by me, from the book's cover]

See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossendowski

On the surface, this book supposes to be just a tourist/anthropologic/ethnographic guide to the Eastern part of the Carpathian mountains, now Ukraine, east of Polish Bieszczady. But this is more than that: the author's unbeatable sense of observation and rich vocabulary makes this little book a real pleasure to read. Anyone frequenting Bieszczady would also find it a very valuable source of information about Hucul peoples, and their customs and art. Plenty of white and black photographs and sketches supplement the author's colourful language.

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]


Great, I enjoy his witty humour appearing in these little stories from both sides of the Atlantic: "Bronek i Roksana", "Arthur Miller i Joseph Papp", etc.

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]

Many Polish books of the historical genre - especially those written abroad - are bitter and argumentative. Jarosław Abramow-Newerly, son of Igor Newerly - the author of "Pamiątka z Celulozy", or "Chłopiec z Salskich Stepów" - somehow manages to talk about controversial issues with the great sense of humour. I like his book "Granica Sokoła", Styl, Warszawa 2001, where he easily moves from Zaleszczyki, to Czortków in Tarnopole voivodship, and later to Warsaw and finally to Toronto, Canada - covering about 80 years of time, and exposing the reader to various cultures (Polish, Ukrainian, Jewish, Russian) and beliefs, including hardcore Communism.

- To moje hobby, panie JarosÅ‚awie. I sens życia. £owiÄ™ te perÅ‚y od czasu studiów (...) Oto strofy paÅ„skiego mistrza, mistrzu:

Genealogy / Looking for any and all information on Dabrowski/Dombrowski from Poland [88]

Midas was a bit faster ... :-)

I assume you realize that the original name of your grandparents was DÄ…browski. Good luck with your search, but this seems like a tough case, since the name is the 11th most common surname in Poland. Wikipedia has few pages devoted to DÄ…browski:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DÄ…browski]
Jan Henryk DÄ…browski (the one mentioned in Polish National Anthem)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Henryk_DÄ…browski
Jarosław Dąbrowski
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarosław_Dąbrowski

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]

Paweł Huelle, Castorp

Quite different from, although kind of complementary to Grass'es "The Tin Drum", or Mann's "The Magic Mountain".

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]


Right. This is the obvious connection, which escaped me - thanks for pointing it out. It has been long time since my introduction to "Czarodziejska Góra". Memory, memory! All I remember from "The Buddenbrooks" is one or two details and the general climate but that's about it.

Oh, I forgot to mention: the Castorp has been translated into English.

Love / Looking for a Polish love song [78]


It appears in many Polish sites. The trick is to google it as a phrase, in quotes.
The much longer version, entitled "Rozmowa", starts with:

Można w kraju żyć swobodnie, gdy się dobrze język zna !
Ale czasem jest wygodniej, gdy się zna języki dwa !
Ja do ciebie po angielsku, ty po polsku do mnie mów !
Może nam się kiedyś przydać tych niewinnych parę słów:
....

It's all here:
tasmania.blox.pl/2004/09/Dwie-ojczyzny.html
(scroll down to the middle of the page)

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]

Andrzej Stasiuk

I read two of his books.

"Opowieści galicyjskie" ("Galician tales") - a semi-fictional travel to a god-forgotten village in the provincial Carpatian foothills - back in time to the last days of PRL and early post-communist times. Some fragments are almost brutal in their exposition of immoral characters of some villagers. Not quite "The Delivery", but tough to read sometimes.

"JadÄ…c do Babadag" ("Travelling to Babadag"), a nostalgic report from the "second class" Europe: Ukraine, Romania, Hungary. The action is set during the post-communist transformation period. Attention to details, great observation ability, good style. I liked this book.

Here is a fragment from his profile on culture.pl:
[i]
More than a cult

by J. Andruchowycz, translated B. Zadura

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]


I actually picked up the online book you recommended from the Gutenberg project. Reading it - with Google maps handy - has been fun to some point, when I started doubting authenticity of the events he describes. I had this sinking feeling of déjà vu: many years ago I was being similarly entertained by S. Rawicz's book, "The long walk" - up to the point where he described his encounter with yeti and which prompted me to carefully scrutinize the book and discover some other nonsense or publicly known facts which were claimed by Rawicz as his unique experience.

So I looked around and I found this project: "In search of the Ja Lama, The Life and Death of Dambijantsan", Don Croner, dambijantsan.doncroner.com.

In the draft of the first chapter Croner describes his initial fascination by the Ossendowski's "Beasts, Men and Gods" and he quotes long passages from that book, especially related to Tuyshegoun Lama, a.k.a. Dambijantsan, Dambijaltsan, Dambija, Ja Lama, Ja Bagsh, Khoyor Temeet Lam, False Lama, Chia Lama, Avenger Lama, etc. - a future hero of the Croner's book.

According to Croner, "Beasts, Men and Gods" had received rave reviews upon its publication in 1922.

The English language version went into twenty-two printings in 1922 alone, selling some 300,000 copies, and the book eventually translated into a dozen or more languages, becoming international best-seller.

Given the book's high profile and sensational content, however, it is not surprising that detractors soon appeared ... historians, explorers, and travellers who were more familiar with Mongolia found much in the book that was incorrect or simply unbelievable.

After about a page or so details of the book critiques he gets to this conclusion:
Confronted in Paris by a whole posse of European Tibetologists (sic!) and other scholars, he finally issued a statement admitting that <<this book of mine is not a scientific work but only the romantic story of my travel across Central Asia for the large public ... So -- my book Beasts, Men and Gods is exclusively a literary work, based on my observations in Central Asia.>>

Croner is even implying that the "observations" were actually "enhanced by a liberal sense of literary license."

So much for the facts. But the book is still a good read though.

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1442]

Is this this?

• 
  from wikipedia
  

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1442]

"Barszcz zwyczajny"

In medieval Europe, pickled young shoots and leaves of this herb used to be a basis for a sour soup, called "barszcz" in Polish. So historically "barszcz" was green, not red.

Young shoots are used today as an ingredient in salads and cooked like spinach. Brew of the herb resembles broth in flavor.

Not to be confused with one of two most poisonous herbs belonging to the same family Apiaceae. In Poland two such herbs are commonly known as "cykuta":

Cikuta virosa - "szalej jadowity" (water hemlock)
Conium maculatum - "szczwół plamisty" (poison hemlock)

Socrates, after being sentenced to death, voluntarily drank the hemlock in prison, in company of friends. Literary tradition speaks of drinking the water hemlock, but the symptoms are indicative of the the reaction to the poison hemlock.

• 
  Barszcz zwyczajny, Heracleum sphondylium
  

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1442]

The luxurious and the plain vanilla

Półgęsek, goose breast, "half-goose thingie"

It was a popular dish in traditional Polish cuisine. It is prepared from deboned goose breast. The skin is first marinated in herbs and spices. The meat plus skin are then either baked or smoked first, then baked. This used to be treated as a rather luxurious dish, usually eaten in manors. It can be served warm, straight from the oven, or served cold thinly sliced.

It can be accompanied by various sauces, such as cranberry sauce; raspberry dressing with Hungarian Tokaji and roasted almonds; creamy horseradish sauce - mixed with grated almonds and other ingredients, etc.

By the way, horseradish sauce used to be called by the French in the nineteenth century, "the Polish mustard."

• 
  Baked "pó³gêsek"
  
• 
  Leaves of horseradish
  

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1442]


Because it occurred to me that most people have no clue how the foliage of horseradish plant looks like. If my childhood memory does not play any tricks the horseradish leaves were much longer than those shown on the picture - 50 cm, or so.

But OK, here are the roots of horseradish plant. Before the days of the modern mechanical kitchen gadgets grating the roots was a job for men (or boys) - quite a physical exercise, with plenty of tears flowing.


Actually the picture of "półgęsek" was taken from a web page of some food shipping company in Poland. Easy to find via google - just type "półgęsek". All customer comments I saw on that page were very positive (five stars), although one customer was not happy about the price rising from 66 zł/kg to 92zł/kg. Apparently this was typical supply and demand issue before Easter, and the company was hoping that their costs - as well as prices - would go down after Easter.

• 
  Roots of the horseradish plant
  

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]

I just discovered the webpage which is devoted to Polish political prisoners in Ravensbruck concentration camp for women. [My great aunt, a teacher, was sent there in 1939. She survived and continued teaching until late 1970s.]

individual.utoronto.ca/jarekg/Ravensbruck/index.html

The owner of the webpage, Jarek Gajewski, translated several poems by Grażyna Chrostowska, one of the prisoners.

Grażyna Chrostowska was born on 21st October, 1921 in Lublin, in Poland. She was a member of the underground KOP (Komenda Obrońców Polski) organization during the Nazi Germany occupation of Poland. She was arrested by Gestapo in Lublin on 8th May, 1941. Together with her sister she was sent to the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp on 23rd September, 1941. On 18th April, 1942, Grażyna Chrostowska and her sister were executed by firing squad in the camp. 8 hours before her death, she wrote the poem titled "Inquietude" (Niepokój).

THE INQUIETUDE (Niepokój)

Life / Polish authors, books & literature. [95]

The General Langfitt Story

Polish Refugees Recount Their Experiences of Exile, Dispersal and Resettlement



By Maryon Allbrook and Helen Cattalini

ISBN 0 644 35781 9
First Published 1995
Available on line here: immi.gov.au/media/publications/refugee/langfitt/

From the introduction:
The General Langfitt Story combines excellently the extraordinary background account of a group of displaced persons, mainly women and children, from Poland who arrived in Australia in 1950, and their subsequent experience in Australia.

and from the chapter 1:
They were a part of the 1500 000 Poles who were deported to the Soviet Union in 1940 to work in remote labour camps. Around 30 000 of them later found 'freedom' in transit camps in India, British East Africa and Palestine. Their story of hardship and survival is a dramatic and remarkable one.

History / Where did the power of Poland vanish to, since... let`s say, some 300 years ago? [180]


Sarmatism was definitely part of it...

Here is a nice article "Sarmatism: A Dream of Power" with few nice pictures and interview by Nick Hodge for Kraków Post,

krakowpost.com/article/1940

I like this fragment:
KP: Minister Sikorski suggested last year that the kontusz [Sarmatian dress] should be reinstated as national dress for Polish diplomats at galas and festive occasions. Do you think that this is commendable idea?

BB-S: This is a commendable idea - all the members of parliament could attire themselves in this fashion, and line up on display in Krakow, so we could see how it works. Speaking seriously though, for special occasions, yes. Well-sown garments and well-composed colours could create a sensation. But after all, if you wear such garb then noblesse oblige....

Sarmatism: A Dream of Power (Sarmatyzm: Sen o Potędze) runs until 30th May at the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum in the Szołayski House, ul. Szczepańska 11.

History / Where did the power of Poland vanish to, since... let`s say, some 300 years ago? [180]


Well, I would not claim that much, because:
Main School of Kraków (later Kraków Academy, and then Jagiellonian University) was established in 1364 but it quickly went down in 1370, after the death of Casimir III the Great, only to recover in the year 1400. So, depending on which year we take as its origin, it is either the 17th or the 20th oldest university in Europe. Poles like to brag that it is the second oldest one in Central Europe, after the Charles University in Prague (1348). University of Vienna (1365) is also from Central Europe, isn't it?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_universities_in_continuous_operation


The author of Artis Magnae Artilleriae, Kazimierz Siemienowicz, was indeed a citizen of the Commonwealth, but he was more likely a Lithuanian/Belarusian than a Pole. And I do not think the Artis Magnae Artilleriae was the first artillery book ever written - it was just a very good book, translated into several languages. There were many artillery books written before, especially in Italian.

For example, Andrew Della-Aqua, a Venetian, a self-taught swindler and impostor, with no clue about geometry and mathematics, wrote two books about artillery: "About the Assembly and School of Gunners of His Majesty the King Zigmunt III" (printed in 1623) and "Praxis ręczna działa" (A manual operation of a gun) [manuscript only, 1637]. And he was handsomely paid for them.

You can read about it in "Historya Artyleryi Polskiej" (History of Polish Artillery) by Konstanty Górski, Warsaw 1902. (available on line from the Digital Library of Wielkopolska.

Górski leaves no shade of the doubt that Della-Aqua, although an apparent erudite, had only a superficial knowledge of the subject. His many illustrations and explanations in his manual seem to be a result of compilation of fragments taken out of context from some Venetian artillery books - combined with his own fuzzy and nonsensical explanations.


Poland indeed may lay claim to some innovative military tactics, strategy and commanders:
Hetman Jan Tarnowski, Krzysztof Arciszewski, Kazimierz Siemionowicz, generals Przyjemski, Krzysztof Grodzicki, etc.

But those were the times where everyone was borrowing words, technology and commanders. Just to name a few:
- "cejgwart" (from German word "Zeugwart" - a commander of gunners and of an arsenal
- "cekauz" or "cekhauz" (from German "Zeughaus" - combination of "Zeug" (fabric, cloth, tool, equipment, weaponry) and "Haus" (house))

- taraśnica (Czech: tarasnica, German: Tarasbüchse, trestle-gun)
- hufnica (Czech: houfnica, proto howitzer)
- Fromhold Wolf von Ludinghausen, general of artillery, served under Wladyslaw IV
- Patrick Gordon, a Scottish mercenary, serving in Sweden, Poland and Russia

The latter two are mentioned in a historical article in the weekly 'Polityka' - nr 42, October 16, 2010: Jerzy Besala, 'Seven weeks of brawl'.

"In fall of 1660 the Polish armies [29 thousands of Polish soldiers, supported by 15-20 thousands of Tartars] met with the superior forces of Moscow [33,000] and Cossacks [20,000 of Dnieper Cossacks plus 40,000 Cossacks led by Jerzy Chmielnicki - the son of the famous Bohdan]. The decisive battle took place at Cudnów (today's Ukraine).'

"Crossing the muddy river Hniłopiat has become a problem for the Polish division. But then the dragoons of the Lieutenant Patrick Gordon, and the Tartars went into action under the protection of the artillery fire - driving away the Cossack defenders of the river crossing."

"The uphill attack, under the hail of Cossack bullets, was very risky but it paid off amply. The dragoons of the Lieutenant Gordon broke in first, followed by the infantry and the units of cavalry."

"The Russian army has been pushed against the woods and then shelled by the artillery of general Fromhold de Ludinghausen Wolff."

Love / How do Polish men feel about gender equality? [780]


I can definitely attest to that. In my former incarnation I was involved with vibration control and I studied impact of noise and vibration on human health. The obvious suspects are pneumatic tools, which cause a lot of nerve and blood vessel problems. A lesser known fact is that driving tractors and other heavy equipment may cause a spine damage. Women suffer more than men because of their different constitution. Swedes were conducting medical research of this sort in early 1960s. They have proved, without the doubt, that the "happy woman tractor driver", as you could see in some communist posters, is an endangered specie.

I have no time to search for such articles now, but I found something related:"Women's Driving Posture: An Overlooked Health Issue", by Dennis Zacharkow, PT, yogaback.com/The_YogaBack_for_Driving/Women_s_Health_Concerns/women_s_health_concerns.html. It contains the references to other interesting articles, such as "Behaviour of the spine under shock and vibration: a review", and dozens more.

Study it, ItsAllAboutME - it may save your health.

And yes, I can also attest to the fact that my female colleagues and I were receiving exactly the same meagre salary, after being accepted for the glamorous positions of junior assistants at some institute of some university in PRL. You know such things by standing in line to the cashier window every month and signing up for the cash received.

Life / Do you find any humour in Polish Highlanders' stories? [24]

Not really a highlander joke, but geographically close enough:
A church orchestra in Upper Silesia. The conductor asks:
- Cembalisten fertig? 
- Ja, ja natürlich.

- Posaune fertig? 
- Ja.

- Trompete fertig? 
- Ja. 

- Also, eins, zwei, drei: 
- "Boże, coÅ› PolskÄ™..." ("God Save Poland …")

Life / Do you find any humour in Polish Highlanders' stories? [24]


You are welcome. :-)

Two young shepherds, walking one day through a forest, noticed a big stone on which it was written: "If you have a human heart, please turn me around". They set to work and with much sweat and effort they finally managed to turn it around - only to find the following inscription on its other side: "I thank you very, very much - those bedsores have been killing me."

Life / Do you find any humour in Polish Highlanders' stories? [24]

An exalted woman tourist says to a highlander:
- You must be happy living here .. witnessing a marriage of clouds with mountain peaks, the greenery of meadows covered by blooming crocuses, the mysterious charm of sun rays drying up the morning dew…

- Oh, yes, I used to witness it all the time - interrupts the highlander - but I do not drink anymore.

Love / How do Polish men feel about gender equality? [780]

I just could not resist...

• 
  Did you want equality? Now go and build your shack yourself.
  
• 
  Cook your dinner yourself!
  

Love / How do Polish men feel about gender equality? [780]

Original posters
albumpolski.pl/index.php?act=view&ktg=46&idt=267

Modified posters
albumpolski.pl/artykul/POLSKA-NA-WESOLO:-Plakaty-z-tamtych-lat--dzis/46/1207

• 
  Greetings to women working for peace and prosperity of the motherland!
  

Genealogy / Family name Morwitch (Anglicised) [9]

Cpt. Moonlight


Oh, look, I just found something for you - plus about two pages of responses from useful suckers..


familytreeforum.com/showthread.php/78813-Family-MORWITCH

Life / Do you find any humour in Polish Highlanders' stories? [24]

An old gazda sits on a rock at the Morskie Oko lake in Tatras. Two tourists chat with him for a while and, to their surprise, he tells them that he uses an unconventional method to fish for trouts:

- Trouts are caught on a mirror.
- In what way?
- It's my secret. But if you buy me a bottle then I share it with you.
The tourists just happen to carry one with them, as a "cold remedy". So they dig it out of their packsack and handle it to gazda. He explains ...

- I put the mirror into the water, and when the trout swims in and begins to look in the mirror, I take a stone and I whack him over the head…

- Interesting ... And how many of those trouts have you caught ?
- Not one yet, but I usually get five bottles a day ...

Genealogy / Family name Morwitch (Anglicised) [9]


I knew it, I was a bit sardonic in my last post.

I think it is only fair to disclose all information you have before asking people to get involved in any investigative work on your behalf. You did not do it. You kept it secret - either by design or by ignorance - even though the other forum provided you with quite a lot of useful findings. But not disclosing those facts you demonstrated an attitude that I consider antisocial. People are willing to help, but their time does not come for free, so you should take care of informing them about all alleys already explored - before they start wasting their time on those.

Having said that, I am still willing to give you a little help. The task of reverse engineering of the origin of Morwitch name is quite daunting for several reasons. Others have already given you some examples of possible names of Jews living in Kraków, Krakau - a part of Austro-Hungarian Empire at those times. The original root of Jewish surnames - quite a late invention, forced by administrative authorities - could come from many sources (check it in wikipedia), such as geographical names, professions or standard Jewish first names. I am by no means an expert in these matters but my hunch is that your family name could originate from one of many forms of MAER-, MAIR-, MAJR-, MEIR-, MEIR-, MAR- etc. Spellings are different but they all mean the same. The surname could be formed by adding any form of ending of the type "son of": -ICZ, -ITCH, -ITZ, -ETZ. Hence MAJROWICZ, MAREWICZ, MEIROWICZ, MEIROWITZ for example. But this is just a huge guess here.

I have no time to do other investigative work for you, but you obviously have such time and a motivation. So I suggest the following. Go to the "Consolidate Jewish surname index", avotaynu.com/csi/csi-home.htm type one of possible candidates for the original name, such as MORWITZ and then wait for the response. You will be given pages and pages of candidates, such as those I have shown above, with soundex code and database name. You have to learn what those database names actually mean. I guess "P" could stand for Poland, but I never read any "help" for that search engine, so this is only my guess.

Having collected all that information, you would need to start an elimination process, to narrow down possible candidates, reject names from Italy, etc.

At the bottom of the web page shown above there are dozens of links you may find more useful or specific in your search. For example, there is a link to "Jewish record indexing - Poland".

Good luck.