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News from Poland :: 11.11.2022

11.11.2022 14:00
Special edition of our current affairs magazine in which we take a look at Poland's national hero (to some), and a complicated figure (to others) in the midst of changing Europe - Marshal Józef Piłsudski.  
Audio
Professor Joshua Zimmerman, the author of an authoritative biography of Jozef Pilsudski
Professor Joshua Zimmerman, the author of an authoritative biography of Jozef PilsudskiPhoto: Radio Poland

In the magazine: an interview with professor Joshua D. Zimmerman, the author of several books on Poland's history, including the first English language biography of Marshal Józef Piłsudski, entitled "Jozef Pilsudski: Founding Father of Modern Poland", which examines a national hero in the thick of a changing Europe, and the legacy that still divides supporters and detractors. 

Professor  Joshua Zimmerman Professor Joshua Zimmerman. Photo: Radio Poland

In his book professor Zimmerman argues that the Poland that Pilsudski envisioned was modern, democratic, and pluralistic. Domestically, he championed equality for Jews, internationally, he positioned Poland as a bulwark against Bolshevism. Professor Zimmerman also writes about the extraordinary life of Józef Piłsudski's older brother Bronisław, who became well-known in Japan following his exile to Sakhalin Island, where he eventually documented the life and culture of the island's people.
The Piłsudski family tree pictured in the book "Jozef Pilsudski: Founding Father of Modern Poland" Piłsudski's Family Tree pictured in the book "Jozef Pilsudski: Founding Father of Modern Poland". Photo: Radio Poland 

Presented by Danuta Isler