Writing in The New Republic, Nobel laureate Czeslaw Milosz said of Adam Michnik, "Before his unbending will, which pushes him to pay with his own person every time he encounters injustice. I feel what probably was felt by an average Hindu confronted by the devotion of Gandhi: admiration mixed with incredulity and hope. . . . Michnik is one of those who bring honor to the last two decades of the twentieth century." Years in advance of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, Poland underwent one of the most radical and painful social and political upheavals of our century. Through a wide body of writing and an unswerving political commitment that took him from prison to parliament, Adam Michnik was a central figure in these events—culminating in 1989 with his role in formulating the political deal that brought Solidarity to power. Michnik's writings, most of them smuggled out of prison, have been translated into many languages; but until now, only isolated essays have appeared in English. In The Church and the Left, Michnik gives full expression to the ideas that have shaped the drama of Poland and of our time. The unlikely alliance of the Catholic Church and the dissident Left is one of the most fascinating and confusing features of the Polish revolutionary movement. No other book better explains the logic of this powerful coalition—or its future implications. In superb discussions of liberalism and nationalism, of secularism and clericalism, Michnik illuminates the unique makeup and direction of Poland's social revolution and, at the same time, offers unparalleled insight into the internal struggles still present in Eastern Europe. Today, as religious revivals proliferate and secular progress, whether liberal or communist, comes under suspicion, the relationship of religion to politics has become a pressing issue far beyond the boundaries of Poland. As none has done before, Michnik's clear and thoughtful book gives us the means to understand this volatile mix as it has transformed Poland and as it figures in the future we see taking shape.

The Church and the Left

Michnik, Adam

History

University of Chicago Press

The Trouble with History: Morality, Revolution, and Counterrevolution (Politics and Culture)

A brilliant meditation on politics, morality, and history from one of the most courageous and controversial authors of our age Renowned Eastern European author Adam Michnik was jailed for more than six years by the communist regime in Poland for his dissident activities. He was an outspoken voice for democracy in the world divided by the Iron Curtain and has remained so to the present day. In this thoughtful and provocative work, the man the Financial Times named “one of the 20 most influential journalists in the world” strips fundamentalism of its religious component and examines it purely as a secular political phenomenon. Comparing modern-day Poland with postrevolutionary France, Michnik offers a stinging critique of the ideological “virus of fundamentalism” often shared by emerging democracies: the belief that, by using techniques of intimidating public opinion, a state governed by “sinless individuals” armed with a doctrine of the only correct means of organizing human relations can build a world without sin. Michnik employs deep historical analysis and keen political observation in his insightful five-point philosophical meditation on morality in public life, ingeniously expounding on history, religion, moral thought, and the present political climate in his native country and throughout Europe.

Legal Theory & Systems

Yale University Press

A brilliant meditation on politics, morality, and history from one of the most courageous and controversial authors of our age Renowned Eastern European author Adam Michnik was jailed for more than six years by the communist regime in Poland for his dissident activities. He was an outspoken voice for democracy in the world divided by the Iron Curtain and has remained so to the present day. In this thoughtful and provocative work, the man the Financial Times named “one of the 20 most influential journalists in the world” strips fundamentalism of its religious component and examines it purely as a secular political phenomenon. Comparing modern-day Poland with postrevolutionary France, Michnik offers a stinging critique of the ideological “virus of fundamentalism” often shared by emerging democracies: the belief that, by using techniques of intimidating public opinion, a state governed by “sinless individuals” armed with a doctrine of the only correct means of organizing human relations can build a world without sin. Michnik employs deep historical analysis and keen political observation in his insightful five-point philosophical meditation on morality in public life, ingeniously expounding on history, religion, moral thought, and the present political climate in his native country and throughout Europe.

A hero to many, Polish writer Adam Michnik ranks among today's most fearless and persuasive public figures. His imprisonment by Poland's military regime in the 1980s did nothing to quench his outpouring of writings, many of which were published in English as Letters from Prison. Beginning where that volume ended, Letters from Freedom finds Michnik briefly in prison at the height of the "cold civil war" between authorities and citizens in Poland, then released. Through his continuing essays, articles, and interviews, the reader can follow all the momentous changes of the last decade in Poland and East-Central Europe. Some of the writings have appeared in English in various publications; most are translated here for the first time.Michnik is never detached. His belief that people can get what they want without hatred and violence has always translated into action, and his actions, particularly the activity of writing, have required his contemporaries to think seriously about what it is they want. His commitment to freedom is absolute, but neither wild-eyed nor humorless; with a characteristic combination of idealism and pragmatism, Michnik says, "In the end, politics is the art of foreseeing and implementing the possible."Michnik's blend of conviction and political acumen is perhaps most vividly revealed in the interviews transcribed in the book, whether he is the subject of the interview or is conducting a conversation with Czeslaw Milosz, Vacláv Havel, or Wojciech Jaruzelski. These face-to-face exchanges tell more about the forces at work in contemporary Eastern Europe than could any textbook. Sharing Michnik's intellectual journey through a tumultuous era, we touch on all the subjects important to him in this wide-ranging collection and find they have importance for everyone who values conscience and responsibility. In the words of Jonathan Schell, "Michnik is one of those who bring honor to the last two decades of the twentieth century."

Letters from Freedom: Post–Cold War Realities and Perspectives (Society and Culture in East-Central Europe)

Europe

University of California Press

A hero to many, Polish writer Adam Michnik ranks among today's most fearless and persuasive public figures. His imprisonment by Poland's military regime in the 1980s did nothing to quench his outpouring of writings, many of which were published in English as Letters from Prison. Beginning where that volume ended, Letters from Freedom finds Michnik briefly in prison at the height of the "cold civil war" between authorities and citizens in Poland, then released. Through his continuing essays, articles, and interviews, the reader can follow all the momentous changes of the last decade in Poland and East-Central Europe. Some of the writings have appeared in English in various publications; most are translated here for the first time. Michnik is never detached. His belief that people can get what they want without hatred and violence has always translated into action, and his actions, particularly the activity of writing, have required his contemporaries to think seriously about what it is they want. His commitment to freedom is absolute, but neither wild-eyed nor humorless; with a characteristic combination of idealism and pragmatism, Michnik says, "In the end, politics is the art of foreseeing and implementing the possible." Michnik's blend of conviction and political acumen is perhaps most vividly revealed in the interviews transcribed in the book, whether he is the subject of the interview or is conducting a conversation with Czeslaw Milosz, Vacláv Havel, or Wojciech Jaruzelski. These face-to-face exchanges tell more about the forces at work in contemporary Eastern Europe than could any textbook. Sharing Michnik's intellectual journey through a tumultuous era, we touch on all the subjects important to him in this wide-ranging collection and find they have importance for everyone who values conscience and responsibility. In the words of Jonathan Schell, "Michnik is one of those who bring honor to the last two decades of the twentieth century."

Letters from Freedom: Post–Cold War Realities and Perspectives (Society and Culture in East-Central Europe) (Volume 10)

Jowitt, Ken

Cave, Jane

Gross, Irena Grudzinska

In this new collection of essays, Adam Michnik―one of Europe’s leading dissidents―traces the post-cold-war transformation of Eastern Europe. He writes again in opposition, this time to post-communist elites and European Union bureaucrats. Composed of history, memoir, and political critique, In Search of Lost Meaning shines a spotlight on the changes in Poland and the Eastern Bloc in the post-1989 years. Michnik asks what mistakes were made and what we can learn from climactic events in Poland’s past, in its literature, and the histories of Central and Eastern Europe. He calls attention to pivotal moments in which central figures like Lech Walesa and political movements like Solidarity came into being, how these movements attempted to uproot the past, and how subsequent events have ultimately challenged Poland’s enduring ethical legacy of morality and liberalism. Reflecting on the most recent efforts to grapple with Poland’s Jewish history and residual guilt, this profoundly important book throws light not only on recent events, but also on the thinking of one of their most important protagonists.

In Search of Lost Meaning: The New Eastern Europe

Alexei Navalny, Russian opposition firebrand, and Adam Michnik, Polish thinker and seasoned activist, take a walk in Red Square, Moscow, to talk about Poland's struggle for independence from the USSR, the collapse of the Soviet empire, and nothing less than the future of Russia. From dissidents to solidarity, Michnik talks animatedly about battling the 'salami' tactics of the old Polish communist regime. Step by step, beneath the Kremlin walls, Navalny is looking for parallels. How did a small group of opposition-minded Poles come to form a ten-million-strong political movement? 'Our strength lay in our solidarity,' says Michnik. Navalny knows what he's up against: 'Putin's main weapon is his ability to bribe the population.' But he also knows his fellow countrymen, for there is 'no one in the country who approves of palace-buying officials.' They pass by Lenin's tomb many times, searching for a way forward. When it's much easier to talk revolution than to actually make it happen, how do you breach the walls of the Kremlin? Here is a clarion call. The blueprint for a new Russia.

Opposing Forces: Plotting the new Russia

Politics & Social Sciences

Navalny, Alexei

Politics & Government

Egret Press

“A Meteor of Intelligent Substance” 
“Something was Missing in our Culture, and Here It Is” 
"Liberties is THE place to be.”\nLiberties, a journal of Culture and Politics, is essential reading for those engaged in the cultural and political issues and causes of our time.\nLiberties features serious, independent, stylish, and controversial essays by significant writers throughout the world; new poetry; and, introduces the next generation of writers and voices to inspire and impact the intellectual and creative lifeblood of today’s culture and politics.\nIn this edition of Liberties: Oksana Forostyna’s A Diary from Lviv; Robert Kagan argues All Wars are Wars of Choice; Justin E. H. Smith grapples with The Gamification of Reality; James Wolcott questions The Poetry of Rock; Pascal Bruckner sees The Oblomovization of the West; William Deresiewicz on higher education’s Schools for Souls; Jaroslaw Anders writes An Open Letter to an Enemy in My Native Land; Elliot Ackerman reveals The Politicization of the American Military; Jonathan Baskin on Sheila Heti and the Fight for Art; A Conversation About Modern History between Isaiah Berlin and Adam Michnik; David Thomson goes back to Chinatown with Roman Polanski and John Huston; Helen Vendler reads John Donne for How to Talk to God; Celeste Marcus on Why Women Mortify Themselves; Leon Wieseltier on Ukraine and Us; and, poetry from Valzhyna Mort, Daryna Gladun, Lesyk Panasiuk, Uri Tzvi Greenberg, Henri Cole, Claire Malroux, La Fontaine, and Devin Johnston.

Liberties Journal of Culture and Politics: Volume II, Issue 4

Ackerman, Elliot

KAGAN, ROBERT

Vendler, Helen

THOMSON, David

Cole, Henri

BERLIN, ISAIAH

Anders, Jaroslaw

Deresiewicz, William

LA FONTAINE, JEAN DE

Mort, Valzhyna

Wolcott, James

Bruckner, Pascal

Johnston, Denis

Malroux, Claire

Forostyna, Oksana

Smith, Justin E.H.

Baskin, Jonathan

Gladun, Daryna

Panasiuk, Lesyk

Greenberg, Uri Tzvi

Arts & Photography

Liberties Journal

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