Czesław Miłosz as Visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, 1992, source: Elżbieta Lempp
An award named for the pre-eminent Polish poet and native ofVilnius has been founded as part of the Miłosz Year and efforts tostrengthen once again the ties between Poland and Lithuania
The Polish Institute in Vilnius, the Lithuanian Journalists Union andthe Authors Guild have established the National Czeslaw Miłosz Awardfor the best publication dedicated to the idea of coexistence of thePolish and Lithuanian people.
A particularly intriguing element of the contest is the requirementthat the works submitted be written in any one of the languages of theformer Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Lithuanian, Polish, Russian,Belarusian and Ukrainian. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania contained thejoined territories of both Poland and Lithuania until 1569 - laterestablished as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until it wasdissolved in 1791 following the 3 May Constitution.
At the press conference on February 1, 2011, Dainius Radzevicius,President of the Lithuanian Journalists Union, stated:
Miłosz is important not only in the context of preserving thehistory, culture and traditions of the Poles and Lithuanians, but alsowithin the context of spreading ideas in the humanities throughoutthe region of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealthof Two Nations.
The Director of the Polish Institute in Vilnius, Margaret Kasner, inturn, emphasised that the contest is open not only to establishedliterary scholars and critics, but also those who have not yet had theopportunity to explore the literary works of Nobel laureate from1980.
Submissions for the contest should be dedicated to the poet's ideas onliberty, truth and responsibility, multiculturalism and tolerance.There are no restrictions on the volume of the submission or age. Theaward comes with a monetary prize of 3,000 LTL (about 870 Euro). Thewinner will be announced December 16 at Vilnius City Hall.
The one hundredth anniversary of the birth of **os:CzeslawMiłosz*os_milosz_czeslaw** ushers in a great number of events inPoland, Lithuania and worldwide. In Lithuania, the International BookFair in Vilnius (February 17 - 20, 2011) pays special heed to the worksand ideas of the poet. Talks will be given on his influence on thedevelopment of Lithuanian and Polish culture, led by literary criticsand academics: Lithuanian poet and essayist Tomas Venclova, Directorof the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore MindaugasKvietkauskas, literary expert Aleksander Fiut and historian AlfredasBumblauskas. The Fair also presents a performance based on his works,as well as three documentary films and an exhibition of photographs -all dedicated to the memory of Miłosz.
Both the Polish and Lithuanian Parliaments have officially declaredthe
Miłosz Year in 2011 in memory of thelate poet and prose writer. In January the Association of Poles in theregion of Lauda held a press conference to promote events tied withthe area where Miłosz was born. Ryszard Jankowski, President of theAssociation of Poles in Lauda stated:
We want to take advantage ofthis year to popularise Lauda and specific places connected to theMilosz family (...) and to draw attention to the fact that the ancestorsof the poet lie here.
Events planned include a Festival of PolishCulture under the heading of From Above the Issa, along with a seriesof conferences.
The Nobel Prize-winning writer, who died in 2004, was born a hundredyears ago in the village of Szetejnie, then a part of the RussianEmpire but historically part of the Commonwealth of Poland andLithuania. Miłosz was born into a family of Lithuanian nobles who hadassimilated into the Polish elite in the 16th Century.
Proponents of the Miłosz Year in Poland and Lithuania have expressedbeliefs that it has the potential to strike a more conciliatory notein Polish-Lithuanian relations.
Source: PAP