The Janusz Kurtyka Foundation is a non-governmental organization that has been working to promote Polish history in Poland and abroad since 2016. Founded by the wife and son of Janusz Kurtyka, President of the Institute of National Remembrance, who tragically died in the Smolensk Air Crash, it pursues its goals through educational, scientific, and publishing activities. Its most important area of activity is the "Janusz Kurtyka Award." However, this pioneering project, aimed at increasing knowledge of Polish history worldwide, is experiencing significant financial challenges that threaten its continued existence.
About the Janusz Kurtyka Award
The Janusz Kurtyka Award is a project tool created by the Janusz Kurtyka Foundation to promote the best books by Polish historians worldwide. Our goal is to expand linguistic accessibility and promote exceptional historical works published in Poland.
The Janusz Kurtyka Foundation Team (Source: Janusz Kurtyka Foundation)
The Foundation recognizes that our past is known only episodically around the world, and this type of knowledge is not widespread. Unfortunately, this problem also affects academic circles. The reason for this state of affairs is the insufficient number of publications by Polish historians in international circulation. There is a particular lack of books on contemporary history. Yet, it is precisely this historical period that Poland faces the greatest challenges in terms of the lack of knowledge about our past among its international partners. Is it any wonder, then, that we hear so many opinions about the history of the Republic of Poland that outrage us, given that for so many years we have failed to ensure the availability of Polish research in international scholarly circulation?
That's why, once a year, as part of the rigorous, multi-stage Janusz Kurtyka Award competition, we select the best historical book on the topic of a given theme. The competition isn't an end in itself—it's a tool through which we ensure the highest quality of our future endeavors. We then translate the outstanding work selected in the competition into foreign languages and publish it in collaboration with international publishers, filling libraries and bookstores worldwide with expert and proven knowledge about our past.
We prioritize scale. We collaborate with publishing houses with recognized achievements and a global reach. Books winning the Janusz Kurtyka Award have so far been published by top international publishers: Routledge, DeGruyter, and Peter Lang. Beyond publishing, we also prioritize promotion. We organize author meetings with authors of our published works in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Austria. In each of these countries, we maintain contacts with universities and non-governmental organizations. We build a network of contacts and exchange of views. We believe, like Józef Mackiewicz, that only the truth is interesting, and that there are many people around the world who are interested in it.
Successes
Our activity is not just a theoretical assumption, but a proud list of very important successes and concrete effects of our actions:
Competitions guaranteeing the quality of the works disseminated
So far, we have organized 8 editions of the Janusz Kurtyka Award competition.
- 1st ed.: The space between two totalitarianisms – the drama of Polish society and the state in the 20th century.
- 2nd ed.: The Space of Polish Independence.
- 3rd ed.: Poland: War and Borders in the 20th Century
- 4th ed.: About the Soviet system and communist ideology.
- 5th ed.: The Hitler-Stalin Pact. The Origins and Consequences of the German-Soviet Alliance.
- 6th ed.: The Home Army and the Attitudes of Poles during World War II. History and Heritage.
- 7th ed.: In the Shadow of Empire. Imperial Images of Russia and the USSR from a Polish Perspective.
- 8th ed.: Immersed in the Past? Historical Factors Shaping Contemporary Poles.
Books published globally, one after another
Most importantly, in collaboration with international publishers, we have managed to publish and secure global distribution of a significant number of books by outstanding Polish historians that have won competitions for our Award. We present them below, along with brief descriptions.
- Wolsza T., Encounter with Katyn: The Wartime and Postwar Story of Poles Who Saw the Katyn Site in 1943, Janusz Kurtyka Foundation, Carolina Academic Press, Durham 2018, pp. 421, ISBN 978-1-5310-1537-4
Professor Tadeusz Wolsza's award-winning book in 2017 tells the stories of over 50 Poles who visited the site of the Katyn Massacre and who, after returning to Poland, had to face harassment and repression, first, from the Germans, and then from the communists.
- Chwalba A., Der Krieg der anderen. Die Polen und der Erste Weltkrieg 1914-1918, Peter Lang, Janusz Kurtyka Stiftung, Warschau 2021, pp. 442, ISBN 978-3631831281.
- Chwalba A., The People of Poland at War: 1914-1918, Peter Lang, Janusz Kurtyka Foundation, Warsaw 2021, pp. 426, ISBN 978-3631838457.
The work, which won the second edition of the Janusz Kurtyka Award, comprehensively describes the history of Polish lands during World War I. Interestingly, the author does not limit himself to merely describing the course of the war or political themes, but, in the spirit of historical anthropology, reaches for social themes. The book addresses issues of everyday life, demoralization, and women's social activism.
- Markowski DK, Zwei Aufstände. Die Schlacht um Lemberg 1918, Peter Lang, Janusz Kurtyka Stiftung, Warschau 2021, pp. 456, ISBN 978-3631829738.
- Markowski DK, Lwów or L'viv? Two Uprisings in 1918, Peter Lang, Janusz Kurtyka Foundation, Warsaw 2021, pp. 412, ISBN 978-3631829721.
Dr. Markowski's work, awarded in the 3rd edition of the Janusz Kurtyka Prize Competition, tells the story of the battles for Lviv between Poles and Ukrainians in November 1918. Thanks to a wide source base, an objective perspective, and exceptional writing skills, the author does this in a way never before seen.
- Nowak A., Das vergessene Appeasement von 1920. Lloyd George, Lenin und Polen, De Gruyter, Oldenbourg 2024, pp. 398, ISBN 978-3-111-33188-1.
- Nowak A., The Forgotten Appeasement of 1920: Lloyd-George, Lenin and Poland, Routledge, London 2023, pp. 408, ISBN 978-1032434636.
This book, winner of the fourth edition of the Janusz Kurtyka Award, explores the diplomatic struggles that unfolded in 1920 surrounding the Polish-Soviet War. The author captivatingly outlines the positions of individual countries and explains their reasons, with a broad analysis of Great Britain's stance. In doing so, he demonstrates that the concept of appeasement, previously applied to somewhat later stances aimed at satisfying Hitler's territorial appetites, can also be confidently applied to British attitudes toward the newly reborn Poland in the early 1930s.
- Benken P., The Mysterious Death of Jan "Anoda" Rodowicz, Peter Lang, Janusz Kurtyka Foundation, Warsaw 2023, pp. 280, ISBN 978-3-631-90854-9.
Dr. Przemysław Benken's work is a case study of the life and death of Jan Rodowicz, codename "Anoda," a member of the Columbus generation and a member of the Polish underground independence organization during World War II. This generation of young people had to fight for freedom against two criminal totalitarian regimes: German and Soviet. Drawing on previously untapped sources, the author presents the reader with all the hypotheses surrounding this event.
- Materski W., Tsars, Soviets, Putin. A Study of Russia's Politics of History, DeGruyter, Janusz Kurtyka Foundation, Warsaw 2025 ISBN: 9783111625164
- Materski W., Von alten und neuen Zaren. Russische Geschichtspolitik im Dienste der Kremlin-Herrscher: Von Ivan III. bis Putin, Peter Lang, Janusz Kurtyka Foundation,
Professor Materski's book is a synthesis of the memory policy pursued by Russia from the 16th to the 21st century. It shows that, regardless of the historical period, these activities have always been a tool for integrating the population, strengthening the cult of the leader, cultivating the attitudes and social behaviors desired by the rulers, and relativizing their crimes and errors.
- Dębski S., Between Berlin and Moscow. German-Soviet Relations in 1939-1941, DeGryter, Janusz Kurtyka Foundation
Sławomir Dębski's work is an excellent reconstruction of the events from the moment of German-Soviet rapprochement in August 1939 until the open confrontation of the totalitarian regimes in June 1941. The author answers key questions about the motivations of Hitler and Stalin in reaching an agreement and why the alliance was broken.
We encourage you to visit our website: fundacjakurtyki.pl, where you can find links to the above-mentioned works in the "Publications" tab.
Availability in the world's most important libraries
Thanks to our collaboration with global publishers, the above-mentioned works are available in libraries around the world, demonstrating the direction and effectiveness of our efforts. Below, we present data on the number of libraries where books published by us and our partners can be found:
- Wolsza 2018 - paper version available in 71 libraries around the world
- Praise 2021 - English-language paper version available in 61 libraries around the world, e-book - available in 61 libraries around the world
- Chwalba 2021, German-language paper version available in 32 libraries worldwide, e-book available in 32 libraries worldwide
- Markowski 2021, English-language paperback version available in 64 libraries around the world, ebook – available in 64 libraries around the world
- Markowski 2021, German-language paper version available in 37 libraries around the world, e-book - available in 37 libraries around the world
- Nowak 2023, English-language paperback version available in 108 libraries worldwide, e-book available in 108 libraries worldwide
- Benken 2023 English-language paperback version available in 15 libraries worldwide, e-book available in 16 libraries worldwide
- Nowak 2024, German-language paperback version available in over 60 libraries worldwide, e-book available in over 60 libraries worldwide
- Materski 2025 – e-book available in 254 libraries around the world
(source: Worldcat)
Promotional Meetings
The scale of our activities is complemented by international meetings organized by us and our partners. We have held nearly 30 promotional events in collaboration with international partners such as University College London, Yale University, University of St. Thomas Houston, Central Connecticut State University, University of Kansas, University of Regensburg, and University of Bonn.
Important Plans, Difficult Times
As you can see, through this important project, we have been systematically and consistently increasing the availability of Polish historical books worldwide for many years. We do this professionally and effectively, as evidenced by the books and availability data presented above. Unfortunately, despite the importance and need of our work in Poland, and despite our effective execution, we cannot secure sufficient support from Polish state institutions or Polish businesses to continue this work. Therefore, we are appealing to Kuryer Polski readers who can support the project to make a donation to support its continued existence.
Your support can help maintain the project's continuity and help publish the next book in the pipeline : "The Church and Totalitarianisms (1917–1989): Global Catholicism and the Polish Experience," by Professor Paweł Skibiński. In his work, Professor Skibiński paints a broad panorama of the Church's attitude toward Nazism and communism over the decades.
In doing so, he seeks answers to crucial questions: whether Christianity, and in particular membership in the Catholic Church, determined the way people behaved when confronted with totalitarian evil. Importantly, telling this story provides an excellent opportunity to present Poland's recent history to the world against this backdrop.
If you would like to support this goal, please direct your support to our account
Janusz Kurtyka Foundation
Address: ul. Wysłouchów 4/20, 30-611 Kraków
Bank name: PKO Bank Polski
Account number: 46 1020 3378 0000 1702 0303 3305
SWIFT: BPKOPLPW
Thank you in advance!
Translation from Polish by Andrew Wozniewicz.
