This part of Poland's post-war history is almost unknown. The very attempt to describe it causes outrage. How is it, non-Nazi camps? And Poles, not Germans, as executioners? Marek Łuszczyna, the author of the book "Mała zbrodnia", talks about how difficult it is to reveal the dirty secrets of one's own nation.
Zuzanna Pęksa:In Little Crime, the term "Polish camps" is used many times. Could you please explain at the beginning what exactly is hidden under this name, which some people are clearly shocking?
Marek Łuszczyna:This name covers some of the 206 camps managed by the Ministry of Public Security. What happened in them corresponds to the definition in international law:a concentration camp is a place where people are isolated without judgment, water and food for an indefinite period of time.
Z.P .:At the end of the book, you gave different opinions on this terminology. Were you not afraid to stick a stick in an anthill with such names? Some believe that these were, however, camps set up by the security services, in which Poles simply took up work.
M.Ł .:The problem with the word "Polish" - as it turns out - only those who, in the words of Witold Gombrowicz , , have They are too Poles and too few people. There is no shortage of such "patriots" at any time. "Not Polish, just none" - recently wrote on FB a troll, which perfectly illustrates the point of view of Poles who are swollen with national pride:Don't speak Polish, don't speak at all!
Map showing the network of camps operating in Poland after the war. The graphic comes from the book by Marła Łuszczyna entitled "Mała zbrodnia" (Znak Horyzont 2017). Click to enlarge.
Z.P .:The subject is important, but so far overlooked by many, treated in a general way. You decided to explore it in depth. What was the first impetus to write the book?
M.Ł .:The first impulse was, to put it mildly, pissing off. For the entire establishment of the Third Polish Republic, including Professor Bartoszewski, Jerzy Buzek, Aleksander Kwasniewski, Radosław Sikorski and many others who could have contributed to the deception of Polish history, and did not do so. I am surprised by their political calculations. They didn't say "let's not say at all" out loud. But that's exactly what they thought.
Z.P .:Exactly. Even such respected figures remained silent about the Polish camps. Was the impression that the creation of "Little Crime" resembled rather is it appropriate to investigate than to write a typical history book?
M.Ł .:It was a very interesting job, almost everyone wandered around and kept silent, from the highest state officials to the inhabitants of Potulice, who did not want to show the mass graves, because it is "German rubbish".
The shocking truth about the post-war Polish concentration camps can be found in Marek Łuszczyna's book "Mała zbrodnia" (Znak Horyzont 2017).
Z.P .:There are many poignant and dramatic threads, but they appear There are also hopeful stories about Poles who treated prisoners well, hung up a rifle on their shoulder and were not beasts in human skin. Can you please tell me more about this?
M.Ł .:Of course. There were many Poles who did not torture people, despised the new government and saw the camps as a symbol of terror. They brought food, served it to people through the fence. Sometimes a guardian turned out to be human, too, and didn't chase those donors. Not everyone was able to break Bolshevism. But most characters snapped like matches.
Z.P .:Coming back to the most tragic threads, which of the described stories touched you the most?
M.Ł .:Definitely the story of Mrs. Dorota Boreczek, her amazing fate in the Zgoda camp. I was shocked by the moment when her companion of misery died on the bunk, and joy flared in my heroine:I will have a blanket. After all these horrors, Ms Boreczek went to Germany, she started supporting the democratic opposition in the 1970s. And then a young policeman came to her and said:Stasi is preparing something for you, do you even know what the security services of socialist countries are?
Gate - monument in the area of the former Zgoda camp (photo:Zgoda camp, gate - monument; license CC BY-SA 4.0).
Z.P .:What is the point of all denial of facts that we encounter in this case? That's right, there is evidence of it, it's not presumptions, so why bury your head in the sand?
M.Ł .:From a misunderstood national interest. Each subsequent team thought "not now" - because there is no prosperity, because there are elections in Germany, because there are elections in Poland. Matters such as educating the public to improve neighborly relations were not taken into account at all. Political relations mattered. Nobody could take on building social relations. Some politicians quietly said:Germany is richer and wiser, they will take it upon themselves. Really?
There is one more thing worth mentioning. See how the post-war history was written so far - we knew about the PKWN manifesto, a 3x referendum, yes, Bierut becomes the president and so on. There was no mention of how people lived after the war:that in the eternal threat of looting, with demoralized neighbors who were ready to kill Jewish survivors of the Holocaust in defense of previously stolen houses.
Z.P .:A book about the camp theme is not only a great experience for the reader, but also for the author. Will you say how you can deal with the emotions that remain after writing such a publication?
M.Ł .:Emotions must be worked through, under no circumstances should they be cut off. No alcohol therapy, but a lot of time alone is useful.