All of Poland is reading “Balladyna” today – a novel by Juliusz Słowacki, one of the great romantic poets of Polish literature. It is yet another edition of the so-called “National reading”. Similarly to previous years, the presidential couple joined the event.
During the reading of “Balladyna” by Juliusz Słowacki, the novel of this year’s 9th edition of the National Reading, the presidential couple began by reading parts of Słowacki’s letters to Zygmunt Krasiński. President Andrzej Duda emphasized the importance of Juliusz Słowacki’s drama for Polish history and national identity. He pointed to the fact that “Balladyna” is an element of the “Polish soul”.
“Why Balladyna? Why Juliusz Słowacki? Well, ladies and gentlemen, this year we are celebrating the centenary of Poland regaining independence, we are celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the great victory of the Battle of Warsaw. Juliusz Słowacki unfortunately never lived to see that free sovereign Poland”, stated president Duda.
“Słowacki never lived to see his play performed on a stage. The premiere took place on the stage of the Lviv Theatre only in 1962, and even though “Balladyna” will soon be 200 years old, it still intrigues and holds in tension to the last moment. It is one of the most famous and greatest works of Polish romanticism”, followed the First Lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda.
The initiative of shared reading has been organized by the president since 2012.