Lessons in Detachment with Szaszkiewiczowa

Reading
time 4 minutes

is probably the oldest Polish blogger. Well-known in the artistic and literary circles of post-war Kraków, Irena was a vibrant character famous for her talkative nature. She was a nurse, an artist, and a regular at the legendary literary cabaret “Piwnica pod Baranami” [The Cellar under the Rams]. It was her witty anecdotes that inspired Kazimierz Wiśniak and Piotr Skrzynecki to create a graphic novel that was later published in “Przekrój”.

For a number of years, I believed that sarcastic comments and witty comebacks were the domain of the intelligentsia. My daughter-in-law argues that they are unconnected, but has to admit that only intelligent people are detached enough to avoid being offended by sarcasm. For example, my great friend Zygmunt Kałużyński* was one such person, and Jerzy Vetulani** is undoubtedly of the same ilk, as are many others who are sometimes referred to as “opinion-makers”. Their caustic remarks are of a decent standard, nothing like the crude jokes of contemporary television comedy shows.

In my youth, I used to take the train from Babica to Rzeszów. Those who got on before Babica would look out of the window to see if anyone would be joining them. Once, the composer

Information

You’ve reached your free article’s limit this month. You can get unlimited access to all our articles and audio content with our digital subscription. If you have an active subscription, please log in.

Subscribe

Irena „Kika” Szaszkiewiczowa:

is probably the oldest Polish blogger. Well-known in the artistic and literary circles of post-war Kraków, Irena was a vibrant character famous for her talkative nature. She was a nurse, an artist, and a regular at the legendary literary cabaret “Piwnica pod Baranami” [The Cellar under the Rams]. It was her witty anecdotes that inspired Kazimierz Wiśniak and Piotr Skrzynecki to create a graphic novel that was later published in “Przekrój”.

Translation: Mark Bence

Publish date: 16.07.2018

Also read:

Jerzy Szaniawski:

Born in 1886, Jerzy Szaniawski was an acclaimed playwright, writer, and essayist. Szaniawski debuted in “Przekrój” in 1949 with his series of short stories, “Stories About Professor Tutka”. For many years he insisted that his stories were published exclusively in “Przekrój”.

Professor Tutka was a fictional character created by the Polish writer, playwright and columnist Jerzy Szaniawski (1886–1970). Stories about Professor Tutka were highly popular among “Przekrój” readers. We present you with the first tale from this series published in 1949.

Some of the gentlemen in the conversation asserted that cannibalism still existed. The Judge was uncertain as to whether it might or not. The Doctor dismissed such stories succinctly, as “fairy-tales”. Professor Tutka said this:

Lessons in Detachment with Szaszkiewiczowa

Also read:

Professor Tutka Was a Journalist

Login

Register