During his speech at the Adam Mickiewicz Square in Warsaw, the president emphasized that cultural heritage, literature and the Polish language help the national community last for centuries. Literature has the power to carry Polishness through generations, to carry Polishness despite the 19th-century partitions or 20th-century occupations. Literature has the power to transfer Polishness across the borders of Europe and the entire world, said Karol Nawrocki.
He added that "literature creates a national imagination in which there is, on the one hand, a place for the past, and on the other hand, for the present and concern for our common future." He noted that the National Reading campaign has been making us a national community for 15 years.
Nawrocki also emphasized that there is no Polish literature without Adam Mickiewicz. He is a fundamental, key figure for understanding the Polish soul and Polish national identity, said the president.
He announced that next year's National Reading will be "Lord Jim" by Joseph Conrad.
First Lady Marta Nawrocka emphasized that as part of the National Reading campaign, "Forefathers' Eve" is available throughout Poland and in over 40 countries around the world. Thanks to Polish literature, we are all close today, she said.
The first National Reading took place in 2012. At that time, the reading material was "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mickiewicz.
"Dziady" in Vilnius
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced on social networks that he had accepted Karol Nawrocki's invitation to read fragments of "Forefathers' Eve" by Adam Mickiewicz as part of the National Reading.
"Adam Mickiewicz is a brilliant Lithuanian and Polish poet. His 'Dziady' was wonderfully translated by the Lithuanian national poet Justinas Marcinkeviczius," wrote Nauseda. The Lithuanian president emphasized that "Forefathers' Eve" is dedicated to the fight of enslaved nations for freedom. "That's why they are more relevant today than ever," he said.
The National Reading of "Forefathers' Eve" in the historic basements of the 17th-century Pac Palace in Vilnius, where the headquarters of the Polish Institute in Vilnius and the Polish Embassy are currently located, on Friday inaugurated a general campaign of reading this drama in the Vilnius region.
On Saturday, a joint reading took place in the Public Library of the Šalčininkai District Government, where Mickiewicz probably observed the pagan-Christian Forefathers' Eve ceremony in November 1821 at the local cemetery.
Then the reading of "Forefathers' Eve" moved to the Baliński Palace in Jaszuny - a town particularly closely associated with the Vilnius romantic community. The Baliński and Śniadecki Palace located there was an important intellectual salon in the 19th century. It was visited by representatives of science and culture, including: Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Tomasz Zan and Antoni Edward Odyniec.
The next meeting will take place on Sunday at the Franciscan monastery in Vilnius, and a day later in Szumsko.
