The Polish Book Institute

A translation of Esej o duszy polskiej (“An Essay on the Polish Soul”) by Constantin Geambaşu has been published in Romania. The publication of Ryszard Legutko's work was supported by the Book Institute as part of the ©POLAND Translation Programme.

Eseu despre sufletul polonez, which is the title of the Romanian edition of the book, has been recently published by Casa Cartii de Stiinta publishing house in Cluj-Napoca.

An Essay on the Polish Soul is a book about the Polish post-war intellectual tradition, its faces and evolution in the times of the Polish People's Republic, as well as the influences that shaped it after 1989. The author, one of the most popular Polish intellectuals, analyses it comprehensively, pointing out its weaknesses: imitativeness and futility, but also drawing attention to those aspects of the heritage of Polish thought which may have an invigorating effect on contemporary public debate.

The translator of the book, Constantin Geambaşu, is a one-man-institution. He has translated about fifty Polish books which have been published by the most prestigious Romanian publishing houses. His translation of Cyprian Norwid's poems has recently been published. In 2016, the Book Institute awarded Geambaşu the prestigious Transatlantic Award, which is granted to the most outstanding translators of Polish literature into foreign languages.