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todisregardfacts.32HistorianNormanDaviesisanexampleofaforeignauthorwho
enjoysgreatrespectinPolandowingtohisrecommendablegreatinterestinthehistory
ofourcountry.However,hispopularhistoryofPoland(God’splayground)aboundsin
simplificationsorerrorshisreviewershavepointedout.Thiscanhappentoanybody,
andweshouldnotlamentitbeyondproportion.ThereasonIemphasizethemisbe-
causeDaviesisfrequentlyputonapedestal.Suchpeoplefrequentlyforgetaboutself-
criticism,whichislikelytohavehappenedwhenhewasworkingonhisstudyabout
Wrocław-themeetingcenterofPolish,CzechandGermancultures.Thisworkwas
publishedinEnglish33andaccompaniedwithanearlysimultaneouseditioninPolish.34
Thesetwoversionsbearthesametitle,whereasamodifiedonewasdemandedforthe
Germanversion.Nottogointodetailhere,onecanbrieflyconcludethattheauthors
arefarfrombeingunbiased,theyselecttheirmaterialstendentiouslydemonstrating
aclearlyhostileattitudetoPolishpost-warreality.35Thesectiondevotedtotheperiod
after1945wasreviewedbytheauthortowhomIwouldliketoreferthereaderhere.36
Itisalsoworthnotingthattheauthorsshowparticularrespectforoneoftheimportant
personagesofmodernWrocław,namelythecity’spresidentBogdanZdrojewski.This
slightlysmellsofpanegyricratherthanacademicwriting,althoughitcanbeunder-
stoodasatributetothepatronofthebook.IamdoubtfulwhethertheEnglishreader
actuallyreceivesanobjectivepictureofthehistoryofthecitylocatedatthemeeting
placeofthreecultures(theGermanreaderknowswhatheknowsandthePolishone
willnoticetendentioustraits).
***
Itisdimculttocontinuetheissueofanobjectiveaccountoftheleadingactorson
thepost-warpoliticalstage.Onethingisworthmentioning,though,namelytheletter
ofPolishBishopstotheirGermancounterparts,writteninconnectionwiththeMillen-
niumcelebrations.LetusrefertotheremarksofanexcellenthistorianoftheChurch
-Rev.ZygmuntZieliński,37aswellastotheopinionofMieczysławF.Rakowski.The
latterwasprobablytheonlyonewhoseattitudetotheGermanthreatresembledthatof
StefanWyszyńskiandWładysławGomułka.38
32MoreM.Kosman,Zrozważań...,partI,pp.75-92;partII,Poznań2001,pp.57-152.
33N.Davies,R.Moorhouse,Microcosm.PortraitofacentralEuropeanCity.
34Mikrokosmos.Portretmiastaśrodkowoeuropejskiego.Vratislavia-Breslau-Wrocław,Kraków
2002.
35DieBlumeEuropas-thetitleborrowedfroma17thcenturyvratislavianskipoet[apoetfrom
Vratislavia]-asPolishforewordputsit(p.9),torefrainfromusingthenotionofwrocławski[apoet
fromWrocław].
36J.Załubski,Czytając„Mikrokosmos”,“PraceHistoryczno-Politologiczne”(ForumNaukowe
WyższejSzkołyZarządzaniaiBankowościwPoznaniu),Book3,2003.
37Boskiczyludzki?KościółwPolsceinaświecie,wczorajidziś,(ed.)MariuszDeckerttalksto
Rev.Prof.ZygmuntZieliński,Częstochowa2002,p.218andnext.
38M.F.Rakowski,Dziennikipolityczne1963-1966,vol.II,Warszawa1999,p.367andnext.
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