Author's meeting with Łukasz Kozak

We invite you to the next installment of GRANDPARENTS NIGHT AT MBP! This year our invitation was accepted by Łukasz Kozak - a historian, author of the first studies on ghostism (“Phantom. Natural History” and “With Stake and Spade. Vampiric Diversity in Poland”). The conversation will be moderated by Marcin Stańczuk.

“Phantom. Natural History” A historical-anthropological study that reads like a suspenseful novel. Disputes of Parisian scholars about Polish vampires, Mickiewicz coming out of the grave, drinking dead blood during the plague and a completely new look at popular beliefs. A wealth of hitherto unknown source materials reveals a forgotten and rejected history of life, death and something in between — a faith that lasted in Poland for at least half a millennium, until the end of the 20th century. The book is richly illustrated with paintings by one of the most important Polish contemporary painters, Aleksandra Waliszewska. Phantom. The natural history of Łukasz Kozak is an unprecedented work. It is difficult to understand Polish culture — including its most important literary works, to mention Mickiewicz or Lesmian — without knowing the folk beliefs. Ghosts, witches, wrens and stygons — that is, “Polish vampires” are their most important element. Phenomena often pushed to the periphery of “superstition” and regarded as frivolous or undesirable elements have finally received extensive study. The Phantom opens a completely new chapter in the perception of that part of Polish culture and history, which was either marginalized or — cut off from the sources — was deformed, being pushed into the concepts of “folk demonology” or “lower mythology”. The author conducted a broad inquiry into sources hitherto ignored — from scholarly treatises of modern times, through court documents, theological treatises, Baroque poetry and Enlightenment journalism, and finally ethnographic materials and press reports dating back to the 20th century, which show how enduring the belief in spooks was in the lands of yesteryear. Politej. The materials also include Latin, French, Ukrainian, Kashubian, German and Hebrew texts — translated and collected in the source appendix to the book. The ghost was created on the basis of more than a hundred historical and ethnographic messages. This extensive selection provides an excellent starting point for further research, interpretation and creative inspiration.

(Source: Evviva Larte Foundation Publishing House).