The meeting with the author takes place at the Vistula Muzeum in Kazimierz Dolny (The House of Maria and Jerzy Kuncewicz, 19 Małachowskiego St.).

Marek Zagańczyk (born in Warsaw in 1967) – Writer, esseist, publisher, and managing editor of “Zeszyty Literackie.” An expert on contemporary literary life and essay writing, which he taught at the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw (his class was granted an award from the rector of the Theatre Academy). Graduate of the Theatre and Drama Studies Faculty at the Theatre Academy in Warsaw. He defended his master’s thesis Tymon Terlecki – theatrical essayist written under prof. Zbigniew Raszewski’s supervision in 1989. During the years 1989-1990, he was the culture section journalist of  the daily paper “Obserwator.” From 1990 to 1991 he was a member of the editorial staff of the monthly “Teatr.” Since 1989 Warsaw Theatre Academy lecturer, 1991-2008 secretary of the editorial staff, and since September 2008 managing editor of the quarterly “Zeszyty Literackie.” Editor of the “Travels” series (Zeszyty Literackie). Curator of Paweł Hertz’s archive and  heritage. He published essays, literary sketches, and reviews in the following magazines: “Kultura Niezależna,” “Teatr,” “Gazeta Wyborcza,” and “Zeszyty Literackie.” Marathon runner, winner of the Crown of Polish Marathons, participant of marathons in Berlin, Florence, Munich, and Paris. Author of travel sketches.

Paweł Hertz writes: “Marek Zagańczyk’s sketches discuss  readings and travels, so in fact they join the descriptions of two journeys: the mental and the actual one. They are meditations on culture and life, and thus on what is the essence of our existence, since we exist in both culture and nature. Nature being the element and culture being that which tames this element, restrains it, and turns it into home.” In his works, Zagańczyk focuses on Italian journeys, during which he traces writers, humanists, travellers: Paweł Muratow, Zbigniew Herbert, E. M. Forster, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Bruce Chatwin, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Kenneth Clark, Ferdynand Gregorovius, Bernard Berenson. In his book “Krajobrazy i portrety” (1999) there are sketches of his travels to Corsica, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and Poland, as well as the profiles of: W. H. Auden, Max Beerbohm, Isaiah Berlin, E. M. Forster, Eugeniusz Fromentin, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Henry James, Jan Kott, Vladimir Nabokov, Evelyn Waugh.

“Cyprysy i topole” (2012) is, as Julia Hartwig writes, ‘a collection of sketches that are a kind of pilgrimage to places where painters and writers, ones close to the author, lived or were attached to. Knowledge of the subject is the book’s strength; the affectionate narrative – its charm.’ A book about the art of traveling, and the loneliness inscribed into it… A guidebook of places, works of art and literature. The places mentioned include: Asolo, Berlin, Byszewy,  Val d’Orcia, Ferrara, Florence, Livonia, Corsica, Crete, Pisa, Rzędziny and Venice.

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