Old age — solitude — sacrum. Folk triptych. Pre-suffocation meeting around the book by Dr. Bartłomiej Gapiński | PTL

The turn of October and November is a time of special interpenetration of the temporal and the supernatural in folk culture. Today, too, we look back at our own passing and remember the dead. When nature slows down and the world loses its juicy colors, we are more willing to direct our thoughts to the past.

Dr. Bartłomiej Gapiński's book deals with topics close to these reflections. It tells of the ancient folk rites of passage, related to the passing, death and worship of the dead, but also of love in mature age - taboo love - loneliness, the status of the rejected, the misfit and the insane, and the ways of coping with existential challenges in the peasant world. As Prof. Andrzej Chwalba noted in the introduction, it is also a successful polemic with a “folk twist” in Polish historiography.

During the meeting dedicated to the book, we will look at the ambiguity of the triad of old age — solitude — sacrum and talk about the issues addressed in it. We will also reflect on the similarities and differences in the ways historians and ethnologists view folk history, seeking mutual inspiration and broadening perspectives.

Practical information:
Date: October 26, 2026, 5 p.m.
Location: Esterka House, 46 Krakowska Street
Free admission