Our subjective guide through Polish culture: both contemporary and classic:
FILM CLASSICS:
Directors:
Wojciech Jerzy Has: The Saragossa Manuscript
Andrzej Wajda: Men of Iron / The Promised Land / Kanal
Jerzy Kawalerowicz: Pharaon
Krzysztof Kieślowski: The Double Life of Veronique / Three Colours – Blue / The Decalogue (series) / Blind Chance
Roman Polański: The Pianist / Rosemary’s Baby
Other classic films:
Ida (dir. Paweł Pawlikowski)
Hello, Tereska (dir. Robert Gliński)
“Vinci” (dir. Janusz Machulski)
Boys Don’t Cry (dir. Olaf Lubaszenko)
Hydrozagadka (dir. Andrzej Kondratiuk)
Rejs (dir. Marek Piwowski)
Miś (dir. Stanisław Bareja)
We’re All Christs (dir. Marek Koterski)
“NOT MAINSTREAM” OR YOUNG FILM DIRECTORS:
Tomasz Bagiński: The Cathedral
Agnieszka Holland: Europa Europa / In Darkness
Andrzej Jakimowski: Squint Your Eyes / Tricks
Jan Jakub Kolski: Johnnie Aquarius aka Johnnie Waterman / The History of Cinema in Popielawy / Jasminum
Krzysztof Krauze: The Debt / My Nikifor
Juliusz Machulski: King Size / Sex-mission
Wojciech Smarzowski: Rose / The Dark House / The Wedding/The Mighty Angel/Volhynia
Agnieszka Smoczyńska: The Lure
Małgorzata Szumowska: Body
Jerzy Skolimowski: Essential Killing
Krzysztof Zanussi: Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease
POLISH WRITERS:
Joanna Bator (The Japanese Fan, Sandy Mountain, Cloudalia, Dark, Almost Night)
Sylwia Chutnik (Pocket Atlas of Women, Diddums, author of an unconventional guidebook to Warsaw, entitled “Women’s Warsaw”).
Stefan Chwin (Hanneman)
Kinga Dunin (e.g. writer and feminist, A Pumpkin Coach, Revolt)
Julia Hartwig (poet, essayist, translator)
Hanna Krall (e.g., Shielding the Flame: An Intimate Conversation With Dr. Marek Edelman, the Last Surviving Leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising)
Witold Gombrowicz (early XX century)
Agnieszka Graff (non-fiction writer, essayist, columnist, feminist)
Manuela Gretkowska (novelist, short story writer, screenwriter)
Ryszard Kapuściński (literature of fact)
Stanisław Lem (fantasy; late XX century)
Bolesław Leśmian (poetry – XIX/XX century)
Dorota Masłowska (XXI century; e.g., Snow White and Russian Red)
Czesław Miłosz (poetry, esseys, novels)
Sławomir Mrożek (e.g., Tango)
Małgorzata Musierowicz ( popular children’s writer)
Andrzej Sapkowski (a series about The Witcher)
Bruno Schulz (fiction)
Edward Stachura (poetry – second half of XX century)
Andrzej Stasiuk (travel literature, Eastern Europe realism, e.g. Travelling to Babadag)
Mariusz Szczygieł (literature of fact)
Wisława Szymborska (poetry – contemporary; Noble Prize Winner)
Wojtek Tochman (literature of fact)
Olga Tokarczuk (e.g. writer and essayist, House of Day, House of Night and Primeval and Other Tales, Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012.)
Julian Tuwim (poetry – XX century)
Witkacy (early XX century)
MUSIC:
Basia (sophisti-pop, jazz)
Monika Brodka (pop)
Szymon Brzóska (contemporary classic)
Fryderyk Chopin (classic)
Closterkeller (gothic)
Dżem (rock-blues band)
Fisz Emade Tworzywo (hip-hop, funk, downtempo)
Fismoll (contemporary – indie)
Edyta Geppert (jazz)
Henryk Górecki (classic)
Grabaż i Strachy na Lachy (rock band)
Happysad (rock band)
Mela Koteluk (indie)
Dawid Podsiadło (indie)
Gaba Kulka (contemporary)
Kapela Ze Wsi Warszawa (contemporary folk)
Leszek Możdżer (jazz-piano)
Myslovitz (rock-pop)
Katarzyna Nosowska (rock)
Tadeusz Nalepa (blues)
O.S.T.R. (hip hop)
Maria Peszek (contemporary – not easy to label)
Zbigniew Preisner
Raz dwa trzy (pop)
Maryla Rodowicz (pop)
Piotr Rubik (symphonic pop music)
Smolik (contemporary – not easy to label)
TSA (hard rock)
Pati Yang (electronic, trip hop)
