“Mazovian Switzerland, or where the Mississippi flows into the Vistula” | wKoło literatury | discussion

Some places do not need legends – they are legends themselves. At the confluence of the Vistula and Skrwa rivers, in the valleys that the former inhabitants affectionately called “Mazovian Switzerland,” stories were not recorded in textbooks, but in people’s memories. They were passed from mouth to mouth – told on the porch, by the well, on the way to church or to a church fair.

It is from these memories, conversations, and anecdotes that Andrzej Dwojnych’s book Mazowiecka Szwajcaria, czyli tam, gdzie Missisipi wpada do Wisły (Mazovian Switzerland, or Where the Mississippi Flows into the Vistula) was born — a collection of literary tales about the people, places, and events of northern Mazovia. Using the oral history method, the author gives a voice to those who did not make it into the encyclopaedia but remain in the memory of their communities.

These are stories about everyday life and miracles. About Mariavites, local “chakras,” saints, and robbers. About what really happened — and what could have happened. Written in lively language, with humor and great respect for people.

The meeting with Andrzej Dwojnych will be an opportunity to talk about how to collect stories from the borderline between memory and myth, why it is worth listening to the oldest residents, and how literature can save what seems fleeting.

In the “wKoło literatury” series, we discuss various literary texts during an open discussion. A casual conversation with authors from the region is a great opportunity to share your insights, interpretations, and reflections on their books.

Andrzej Dwojnych – Doctor of Humanities, graduate of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Silesia and the Institute of Religious Studies at the Jagiellonian University, associated with the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region. Author of the monograph “Endecja na Mazowszu północnym a Kościół katolicki 1898-1939” (Krakow 2008) and, together with Rafał Łętocha, “Towards the Kingdom of God on Earth. The Socio-Political Thought of Polish Mariavites” (Krakow 2021). Editor of the collective work “The ‘Strangers’ Here. Reflections on national, ethnic, and religious minorities in northern Mazovia and the Dobrzyń region from the early 19th century to the present day (Warsaw 2019).