157editorial work. Together with Józef Czap-
ski (a Polish painter and writer who
was also one of Kultura’s founders), he
envisioned the creation of a European
University. Its location was debated to
lie somewhere between Geneva and
Strasbourg. The university was meant to
have two departments: one for law and
economics and the other for humanities
(where literature and history of all the
nations that lived behind the Iron Cur-
tain would be taught). The university, in
this way, would educate the citizens of a
new Europe. The project, however, was
never implemented, even though some
initiatives and attempts were made.A story of Eastern EuropeansAll the books, magazines and corre-
spondence that were authored by Gie-
droyc can be found today in the archives
of the Literary Institute. The high value
of their content is reflected by the fact
that UNESCO has placed them on its
Memory of the World Register. Volumes
of Giedroyc’s correspondence as well as
numerous academic publications analys-
ing the activity of the Literary Institute
have also been published in Poland and
abroad. They have been authored by
historians, political scientists, literary
scholars and cultural experts. Clearly
the plethora of published work shows
that those who were responsible for cre-
ating Kultura continue to intrigue and
impress today.
Overall, the variety of publications
that analyse either Kultura or its au-
thors and editors is vast and they range
from those that focus on specific issues
to biographies. Among all that is avail-
able, one clearly stands out. It was a book
written by a Polish author named Mag-
dalena Grochowska and first published
in 2009, titled Jerzy Giedroyc. Do Polski
ze snu (Jerzy Giedroyc. To a Poland of
dreams). The book is a fact-based publi-
cation, yet one that reads like a novel, or
a historical report on resistance against
communism. IWhile presenting the bi-
ographies of the people who were once
part of Kultura, Grochowska tells the
story of Eastern Europeans – an intel-
lectual history, to be more precise. It is a
story that shows the difficult fate of the
Polish intelligentsia in the second half
of the 20th century. Grochowska’s book
was well-received in Poland and granted
many prestigious awards. Its popularity
now has a chance to go beyond Polish
borders as a Russian edition, titled Ежи
Гедройц: К Польше своей мечты, was
published this year – which, no doubt,
would have pleased Giedroyc immensely.
Equally agreeable for Giedroyc would
be the fact that the book was published
in St Petersburg and as a result of joint
efforts of three institutions, two of them
being Polish: the Polish Institute in St
Petersburg and the Polish Book Insti-
tute; and one Russian: the Ivan Limbach
Publishing House. Grochowska, in herCultural diplomacy at its best, Dorota Sieroń-Galusek Eastern Café