Silesian Literary Scene

“Quite the Middle East. Untold stories”

Conducted by: Weronika Górska and Radek Kobierski

During the suffocating meeting we will combine poetry with prose, Silesian stories with Ukrainian, Russian, Wallachian and Jewish stories, and reflection on the past with questions about the future. Since our guests are not only literati, but also lawyers, their view of the beauty and pain of the world, political systems and social moods is extremely broad.

Dariusz Pado — poet born in 1974 and currently living in Rzeszów, lawyer, lecturer of ORA. As a lawyer, he once ran a permanent legal column in the monthly magazine “Cat Affairs”. Currently, he deals with business law and labor law. Author of several poetry books. As a poet, he became associated with the Krakow publishing house Austeria, where in 2025 he published a volume of poems entitled “The eighth day”. He is also interested in the history of the Galician oil industry, which he intends to collect in historical essays. In his free time, he leads Jerzy Ficowski's FB page.

Marian Sworeń — born in 1954 in Katowice. Lawyer, writer, member of the Upper Silesian Literary Society and the Polish PEN Club. Author of the books “Desiderata. The history of the work that became a legend” (2004, 2026), “Private Journal of Laws” (2004), “Incorrectives” (2006), “Melancholy in Faustheim. A novel about the revolution in Munich” (2008), “Description of the land of Gog” (2011, Gdynia Literary Award), “Black Icon — Belomor. Bialomorsk Canal. Happens. People. The words” (2017, nomination for the Angelus Eastern European Prize), “They did not go away. Essays on Unexpired Presence” (2026). He is the creator of the Polish Radio Theatre: “From the Life of Dolphins”, “The House in Samara”, “Under the Golden Guillotine”, “Chaadaev”. He publishes in the “Political Review” and “Constitutional Monitor”. He lives in Mikołów.

ŚLĄSKA SCENA LITERACKA is a space for meetings with Authors primarily from the Silesian Voivodeship. We invite poets and prose writers, creators of niche and popular literature, those who draw inspiration from the culture and language of the region and those whose writing is not influenced by their place of residence. We want to treat Silesia also as a symbol of multicultural synergy and redefinition and look for these symbols and strategies in literature created outside the region. Based on the diverse sensibilities, aesthetics and themes presented by the guests, we are constantly looking for new answers to the fundamental question — why do we read and write books?

The event is open to the blind and visually impaired. The distance from the tram stop at 3 Maja Street in Katowice is 80 meters (crossing one roadway), from the bus stop at Freedom Square 100 meters (crossing one roadway),

from the bus stop at Sokolska Street 150 meters (crossing two carriageways),

and from the railway station 290 meters (crossing one carriageway). The Fifth House is entered through a door located at the height of the pavement, and then by 11 stairs to the high ground floor. People with disabilities can ask for assistance in getting there (tel. 793019884).