Polish Impact

We believe that everything began and shall continue to begin in Poland. In Eden, Adam and Eve spoke Polish, the protong, or the first language, from which all other languages originated (which was scientifically proven by Stanisław Szukalski, Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Polish grandfather”), Christopher Columbus was Polish, and, of course, experimental literature also began in the land upon the Vistula River. “HOW COME”, YOU ASK? It is impossible to talk about experiments and pushing boundaries in literature without King Ubu or the Poles (because that is the full title of Jarry’s play). It is common knowledge that the teenage author set the action of his play “in Poland, that is, nowhere.” As, indeed, at the time he created his work, Poland was temporarily non-existent. We want to borrow Jarry’s metaphor to tell you about the existing/non-existing empire in the field of literary experimentation, literary thought, and digital textuality. The Polish empire. From this booklet you will learn that you have been misinformed about the history of world experimental literature. We want to tell you that it was really in Poland that digital literature was invented, that a Polish artist was the first to introduce spatiality and networkedness into literary art, that Poles rediscovered the medium of the book for artistic expression and called this liberature, invented bioart, wrote a mega-palindrome, and Poles were in the avant-garde of literary trolling. Moreover, Poles are so advanced that they have participated in the creation of a coalition against the dominance of the English language, and our experimental artists simply refuse to be called experimental. Probably most of you, our Readers, know the divide into the center and peripheries. You might think that only the center matters and that you happen to be in it. We want to make this perspective our own. We are writing this book as citizens of the great non-existing/existing empire of King Ubu. In it we offer a selection of projects that we consider to be the first, best and most influential, without looking back at anyone else’s story. Therefore, gentlemen of Poland, forward! Or rather, backward!

(Source: http://www.ha.art.pl/wydawnictwo/nowe-ksiazki/4617-polish-impact)