Harasimowicz’s book “Saga czyli filiżanka, której nie ma” (Saga or the cup that isn’t there) about his family history was inspired by his mother’s memory of a cup. In the Pawłowicz family lore, another cup features prominently. Not the phantom cup of a Napoleonic soldier, but a tangible piece of a china coffee service in … Read more
The title “History, Memory and Imagination” comes from an interview streamed live on September 8th 2023 with Polish writer Cezary Harasimowicz (in Polish with simultaneous Portuguese interpretation). It was conducted by Piotr Kilanowski, coordinator of the Center for Polish Studies and professor of Polish literature at the Federal University of Paraná. Harasimowicz is not only … Read more
The linguistic challenge post, written 10 years ago, at the start of the Bohdan Pawłowicz project in 2013, was a snapshot in time triggered by the memories and feelings towards the languages I had learned at different times and in different ways for different purposes, as well as the realization of the need to learn … Read more
I wrote my first post exactly ten years ago, giving some background on this family project. That first year, I faced several challenges regarding the project: translation, classification, digitisation and visual organization, besides verifying oral family stories against credible sources. I have managed to address most of them, but I admit that managing my time … Read more
Both my mother and my grandparents kept the family saga alive by telling their children and grandchildren episodes from their own and their ancestors lives. Not only that, but they kept many items (photographs, papers, letters…) which, to a certain extent, document these. While researching the family history, my challenge has been to rectify the … Read more
Looking back on these past three years, I suddenly realized I have not updated this blog for ages. Not for lack of activity – it’s just that everyday life ruled over, often barging into the research and writing time, which demand a different focus. These were fruitful breaks, however, during which emotions rose and subsided, … Read more
One of the most difficult challenges I have to deal with in this project every day is linguistic. Most sources I am reading and trying to make sense of are in Polish. The language I have chosen to transmit this understanding is English. This could be a straightforward translation case between two languages were it … Read more
As I look back and try to pinpoint where the idea of The Pawlowicz Suitcase project came about, I realize there have been a number of seemingly unrelated events, which have now found the right time and circumstances to connect and make the adventure worth considering. The seeds were planted back in my childhood and … Read more