'Poland 1939: Interrupted Country' is a series of feature articles from Culture.pl presenting 9 examples of Interwar Polish culture whose fate was dramatically cut short by the onset of World War II. The war didn't only end the history of the so-called Second Republic of Poland (1918-1939), but it also interrupted the paths Polish culture was developing in areas such as avant-garde art, jazz and experimental film.
These 9 intriguing tales, featuring people whose lives and work were torn apart by the catastrophe of World War II, come together to form Poland 1939: Interrupted Country: from Ginczanka and Hiller to Witkacy and Schulz. They are also stories of works – some lost, others destroyed, and even those we can't be sure existed to begin with. It also shares surprising histories of unexpected metamorphosis and continuation, such as the modernist architecture of Karol Schayer in Lebanon, or the post-war role played by 1930s avant-garde filmmakers.