The Evolving Roles of Melchior Wańkowicz and Marian Kister in Publishing: From Warsaw to New York

• In Event: Wańkowicz-Kister-Erdman: Emigrant Freedom Dilemmas (on the 50th Anniversary of Melchior Wańkowicz's Death) in the Light of Archival Research

Abstract

This paper describes the activities of “Rój” Publishing House in interwar Warsaw and in New York from 1941 onward, highlighting the relationship between its two partners: Melchior Wańkowicz and Marian Kister. The initial role of Wańkowicz as a literary director diminishes gradually, while Kister’s becomes essential, achieved through the help of his wife, Hanna. In spite of financial imbalances, both partners continue their collaboration while the Kisters focus their efforts on the promotion of Wańkowicz’s literary work among the members of Polish émigré circles. The research is based on materials from the Roy Publishers archive hold at Special Collections at Stanford University Libraries in California.

Author

• Barbara Brigida Krupa, Stanford U