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Dear Patrons of Polish Books,
Thirty eight years ago Edward Puacz (my late husband), a journalist from Warsaw,
a graduate of Ecole des Sciences Politiques (School of Political Science) in Paris,
was a man who led an exciting social, cultural as well as personal life. He was
a social activist courageous in both word and deed who never wavered in his patriotism.
He was a man who thirty-five years ago translated an intangible pride of Polishness
into a well-considered business venture in Chicago, a bookstore named POLONIA. This
was to be a place where bibliophiles could have access to a wide variety of Polish
literary works and English language publications about Poland and Polish literature
in translation.
Success did not come overnight. It took thirty-five years of work – thirty-five
years of knocking on the doors of university libraries, of public libraries and
other institutions that had not yet discovered the beauty of Polish books. During
this time participation in library, academic Slavic and Polish conferences became
an annual activity of the bookstore. Polonia Bookstore also participated in Polish
festivals and artistic and cultural events.
Today, after thirty-five years we can claim the honor of being the largest Polish
bookstore in America. We are the main source of Polish publications and happen to
be one of the most significant suppliers of English language texts on Polish subjects
to university libraries, public libraries and the American public in general. Eight
years ago Polonia Bookstore moved to the new location, a spacious and meticulously
decorated place with a quaint café. It has become a cozy center for cultural gatherings,
meetings and authors’ signings, charmed with a fireplace and a live piano music.
These successes could not have been achieved without the support of our reading
public. We would like to give special thanks to our patrons, both past and present,
to the writers and academicians who have contributed to our work and to the many
libraries with whom we have established a reciprocal relationship.
Thank you very much for your patronage.
Mira Puacz,
President Polonia Bookstore, Inc. |
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