On 8 December 2023, exactly on the 104th anniversary of Mieczysław Wajnberg’s birth, we invited audiences to an intimate meeting at Księgarnia Czarnego in Warsaw’s Wola district. Dr. Magdalena Piotrowska-Grot (University of Łódź), Agnieszka Kuś, and Dr. Aleksander Laskowski (NIFC) discussed the poetry of Julian Tuwim – its influence on the generation that came of age during the war, its role in the everyday life of the ghetto’s residents, and the relationship between word and sound, including the special bond between Wajnberg and Tuwim.

The discussion was followed by a concert featuring soprano Ewa Leszczyńska, violinist Maria Sławek, violist Katarzyna Budnik, and cellist Marcin Zdunik, who performed two of Wajnberg’s song cycles to Tuwim’s texts: Gypsy Bible op. 57 and Old Letters op. 77, arranged for voice and string trio.

On Sunday morning we gathered at 41 Sienna Street for a walk through the Small Ghetto following the footsteps of Mary Berg, guided by Agnieszka Kuś.

We also recommend the ebook by Agnieszka Kuś: Baedecker of Our Misfortune. A Varsavianist Walk in the Footsteps of Mary Berg and Julian Tuwim, available for download below.