"Przekrój" Magazine - Przekrój Magazine

Igor Kubik

Rubedo

Media / Photo

The starting point of the visual essay “Rubedo”, produced in the form of a three-channelled animation, is Jakub Woynarowski’s curatorial project “Echoes” from 2014, as well as the accompanying performative lecture “Redrum”, prepared in collaboration with Kuba Mikurda.

From the Series Tuesday - Saturday

Media / Photo

Photograph by the famous duo Marina Abramovic & Ulay

Spinebone Soup and Stuffed Rabbits

Media / Photo

Some years ago, I began refusing to eat meat entirely. My objection being based neither on ecological nor ethical grounds, I could only guess at what mechanism of a personal eschatology drove my alimentary choice. – Ksenia Yurkova

Sour Milk, Sweet Life
How to Make Your Own Yoghurt

Reading / society

Our gastronomy expert recalls the lost art of cooking techniques, and gives a recipe for homemade yoghurt. dr Ryan Bromley

June in History
Diary of an Eternal Pessimist

Reading / society

Our eternally pessimistic correspondent gives his historical highlights for the month of June. Adam Węgłowski

Mikado

Media / Photo

The Mikado series is the latest stage of my long-standing artistic development as a photographer, and the next step in my analysis of the creative process. For the past fifteen years, the techniques of digital image processing became crucial for my art. When working on the Mikado project, I experimented with form, focusing solely on the creative process and its medium. – Igor Omulecki

short story

The Tale of the Plastic Bag

Reading / literature

In the distant future, Plastic Bag meets Diamond on Henderson Island, a plastic-strewn landmass in the Pacific Ocean. A short story set in the Plasticozoic Era. Joanna Rudniańska

Ivan
Krastev

Madly, in All Directions

Reading / society

The 2019 European Parliament election results reveal an electorate in ideological flux. What does this suggest about the EU today?

Julia
Fiedorczuk

For Free

Reading / feuilleton

To look up at the marvellous, shape-shifting clouds costs nothing, but can make you feel incredibly rich.

healthy living

How Do We Know Whether We Are Progressing Spiritually?

Reading / society

“The power of egoism is so strong, that we constantly forget who we truly are: pure being and consciousness.” Marshall Govindan Satchidananda

A Spiritual Spritzer
How to Make Elderflower Cordial

Reading / society

Our gastronomy expert explores the folklore behind Sambucus nigra L. (also known as elderberry), and gives a recipe for homemade elderflower cordial. dr Ryan Bromley

Am ‘I’ Really ‘Me’?
An Interview with Bruce Hood

Reading / society

Bruce Hood talks about our inclination towards the supernatural, the illusion of free will, and his collection of horror and sci-fi memorabilia. Tomasz Stawiszyński

In translation

The Hunt
Stanisław Lem’s Unknown Story

Reading / literature

Racing across mountains and remote backwoods, a solitary figure is on the run from a team of heavily armed hunters. Will he manage to get away? Antonia Lloyd-Jones's translation of a previously unknown story by the great master of science fiction. Stanisław Lem

Stanisław
Bereś

A Typescript Found in a Folder

Reading / literature

A previously unknown short story by science fiction author Stanisław Lem was recently discovered in his archives. A literary scholar discusses how “The Hunt” remained hidden for so long, and what the story might mean.

Listen to the audio

An Archive of Taste. The Lingering Memory of Flavour (audio)

Media / Audio

Food isn’t simply a gustatory experience. It can also evoke associations with people and places, taking us on an emotional trip down memory lane. Original publication by Monika Kucia. Read by Erika Oley-Trojanowska.

Listen to the audio

Blood for Blood. Or a Heifer or Two (audio)

Media / Audio

In Chechnya, the centuries-old Caucasian honour code is slowly being eroded by the bloody politics of Ramzan Kadyrov. Original publication by Wojciech Jagielski. Read by Richard Greenhill.

Listen to the audio

The Woes of Pope Frances. An Alternative Papal History (audio)

Media / Audio

We present you with an alternative history of the Roman Catholic Church led by a woman, Pope Frances. Original publication by Adam Węgłowski. Read by Erika Oley-Trojanowska.

Listen to the audio

Yoga for the Voice. Why Singing Is Good for the Mind (audio)

Media / Audio

From Gregorian chant to Buddhist mantras, a writer explores the therapeutic properties of singing. Original publication by Aleksandra Reszelska. Read by Nathaniel Espino.

How Did We Discover Stanisław Lem’s Unpublished Short Story?
The Origins of “The Hunt”

Reading / literature

How did we find a previously unpublished short story of Stanisław Lem, one of the most celebrated Polish writers of all time? Przekrój

Immigrant Sea

Reading / literature

“The way / he searches out her face, he searches out himself”. A poem by the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner. Forrest Gander

Deep Soundings
An Introduction to Forrest Gander’s “Immigrant Sea”

Reading / literature

Forrest Gander’s poem “Immigrant Sea” describes a sensual and intellectual encounter, which ebbs and flows across the page, just like its protagonist’s recognition of himself. Julia Fiedorczuk

sports

Spring in Sport
A Round-Up of Sporting News

Reading / society

Our correspondent’s summary of sport in spring 2019, from Senegalese wrestling to steroids in steak. Michał Szadkowski

short story

The Door

Reading / literature

About 10 years ago, a door appeared behind the church’s side altar. We don’t know what happened behind that door, but we do know that it was life-changing. A short story set in the Polish countryside. Magda Kiełbowicz

short story

Henryk Ochorowicz Steps Across the Threshold

Reading / literature

In 1935, Henryk Ochorowicz found his soulmate in a small Warsaw bookstore. Unfortunately, she was Queen Marysieńka, a Polish monarch who had died over 200 years earlier. Tomasz Wiśniewski

Ten Feet Under
The Gold Rush in Peru’s Amazon Basin

Reading / society

The Madre de Dios region has seen a relentless stream of illegal gold mining. This is taking its toll not only on the Amazonian rainforest, but also on the area’s inhabitants. Paulina Wilk

The Un-Prison
Life Inside Uruguay’s Most Progressive Prison

Reading / society

Punta de Rieles is home to around 600 prisoners, 38 small businesses and a thriving inmate community. It also has some of South America’s lowest recidivism rates. Maria Hawranek

short story

The Model Worker

Reading / literature

In the near future, work has become fully automated. Humans spend their days doing whatever they like, helped by robots. Nonetheless, for Wili, something is missing… A short story set in Warsaw. Artur Kornel

As Stubborn as a Brain
The Fallibility of Human Reasoning

Reading / science

We take our memory, free will and rational thinking for granted, but perhaps this is simply just another cognitive bias of the human mind? Miłada Jędrysik

Mao and the Sparrows
A Communist State’s War Against Nature

Reading / society

In 1958, Mao Zedong ordered the killing of all sparrows. The resulting ecological imbalance exacerbated the Great Famine, creating a fatal chapter in China’s history. Agata Kasprolewicz

The Science of the Non-Existing Self
How Meditation Entered the Academic Consciousness

Reading / society

50 years ago, the study of meditation was laughed at by mainstream Western psychologists. We recount how non-dual awareness has become a growing area of serious scientific study. Tomasz Stawiszyński

High Culture in the Magic Mountains
The Art World’s Alpine Love Affair

Reading / culture

The lofty peaks of the Alps have long had elitist appeal. This might explain why Grażyna Kulczyk decided to open Muzeum Susch among their rarefied atmosphere. Stach Szabłowski

Chirping, Whistling and Tootling
The Joys of Recognizing Birdsong

Reading / culture

Identifying the songs of different birds can be tricky and time-consuming. It can also become a lifelong passion that soothes the mind and has a positive effect on mood. Olga Drenda

Opinion

Ivan
Krastev