The Polish poet and Nobel Prize winner Wisława Szymborska died on Wednesday aged 88.The conservative news portal Wprost Online praises her as a great - yet virtually unknown - artist: "She was born, wrote verse and died. Szymborska wrote poetry for us, it's true, but she kept her private life entirely to herself. ... She wrote in such a way that even those who don't like poetry could understand without difficulty what her poems meant. Even though, as she herself once said, only 'two in a thousand' people actually like poetry. She didn't write with a pedantic tone or seek to shock people with her style, but only to describe the world with the simplest possible words." (03/02/2012)

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All available articles from » Artur Bartkiewicz

The burial of the Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos, who died in an accident on Tuesday while shooting his latest film, will take place in Athens today. His colleague Dimitris Danikas showers Angelopoulos with praise in the left-liberal daily To Vima: "He was the only Greek to receive the Golden Palm. The only Greek to win a Felix for Best European Film. The only Greek whose films are analysed in books and articles. And the only one to have a film, in his case The Travelling Players, named among the hundred best films of all time in Japan. ... His personal views set him apart from hundreds of good colleagues. ... He was self-assured, competent and devoted to his own world. For all of us this is the major lesson: to discover our own personality we must escape from uniformity, mediocrity and our own insignificant microcosm!" (26/01/2012)

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All available articles from » Dimitris Danikas

The new film by Roman Polanski, the tragicomic chamber piece Carnage hit the screens in Poland last week. In his review of the film the critic Marcin Kuberka drew comparisons between the protagonists - two bickering married couples - and Poles who shed doubts on the official report about the Smolensk disaster. The liberal daily Gazeta Wybrocza finds this preposterous: "At the end of his review the critic, who is presented as a screenwriter and film connoisseur, asks the basic question: 'What does this film tell us? That there can be no reconciliation without truth - despite the pro-Russian propaganda disseminated in the Polish and Russia media after April 10.' Only naive audiences will believe they are seeing nothing more here than the bitter conflicts between two married couples. The film distribution company should send Marcin Kuberka a big bouquet of flowers. After his review all the supporters of the [national conservative party] PiS will feel obliged to go and see this film." (26/01/2012)

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All available articles from » Krystyna Naszkowska

The Polish director Agnieszka Holland was nominated for an Oscar for her film In Darkness on Tuesday. The left-liberal news portal Polityka Online is full of praise: "This is wonderful news and confirms that Polish cinema is getting better and better. After Angry Harvest and Europa, Europa this is Holland's third nomination for a film about the Holocaust. But she has reached her artistic peak here and hit the right note by placing the tragic story of the annihilation of the Jews on a broader basis than before. The war crimes were committed by different people driven by different motives. Naturally not all the words of praise should go to the director. Many highly creative Poles worked together on In Darkness. First of all Jola Dylewska should be mentioned - the camerawoman and creator of outstanding images." (25/01/2012)

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All available articles from » Janusz Wróblewski

The Helsinki municipal authorities plan to construct a Guggenhem Museum. In a feasibility study commissioned by the city and presented on Tuesday, the Guggenheim Foundation proposes the harbour district as the location. The debate over the prestige project should focus above all on its potential for boosting Finland's image, writes the liberal daily Kainuun Sanomat. "Bilbao in Spain is a good example of how a Guggenheim Museum can shape the image of a city. Without the museum this town - which is smaller than Helsinki - would hardly be known at all. The building's original architecture is a fascinating landmark. ... Hopefully this project will be backed by enough people, and they will not only see the financial advantages. Of course a decisive role will be played by the city of Helsinki. This is not just a local project. The image of Helsinki is an essential part of our country's image as a whole, and strengthening it is a task of national importance. To that extent it is important to earmark state funds for the project, even if large amounts won't be available in the next few years." (12/01/2012)

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