ARTS / BOOKS
Poland: New book release ceremony held in Beijing
Published: Jan 16, 2025 11:29 PM
Magdalena Czechoska, director of the Culture Office at the Polish Embassy in China, shares her insights with readers at the ceremony in Beijing, on January 11, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of Poland

Magdalena Czechoska, director of Polish Institute in Beijing, shares her insights with readers at the ceremony in Beijing, on January 11, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of Poland

During the 2025 Beijing Book Fair, the Embassy of Poland rolled out a new book titled The Peasants (Chłopi) by Polish Nobel Prize winner Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont at its release ceremony in Beijing on January 11. 

Li Yinan, an associate professor and director of the Polish Language Teaching and Research Office at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Zhang Yue, a former CCTV anchorwoman were invited as panelists to the event. Zhao Jian, an online celebrity with vlogs focusing on book reviews, was also invited to chair the event. 

Magdalena Czechoska, director of Polish Institute in Beijing, also participated in the event. 

The Peasants, a masterpiece by Reymont, is a profound reflection of the 20th century. The novel tells stories about social contradictions and class conditions in rural Poland at the start of the century.

The book's Chinese version was translated by Lin Hongliang, a famous Polish translator in China. Lin was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Translation, the top honor conferred by the Translators Association of China in 2019.

Zhang shared the paragraphs that impressed her most. She told the readers that she thought the heroine's fate was somewhat similar to a role in the Chinese novel White Deer Plain by Chen Zhongshi. 

Zhang also acknowledged that the aesthetic qualities of classicism and naturalism in The Peasants, encourage the readers to sit back and taste the book. Ultimately, the readers will feel the uniqueness of the trilogy. Zhang also recommended the animated film by the same name adapted from Peasants.

In September 2023, Poland's Oscar committee selected The Peasants, a sumptuous animated literary adaptation from Loving Vincent directors DK and Hugh Welchman, as the country's submission for the best international feature category at the 2024 Oscars.

At the end of the event, Czechoska expressed her expectation that the new book's publication would become a useful tool in understanding Poland as its content reflects the changes of the Polish nation over the last century.