Polish Biographical Dictionary: Difference between revisions

{{As of August 2014|2021|2}}, 4852 complete volumes have been produced, with entries to "''SzT''". The latest installment, is [[Serial (literature)|fascicle]] 200217, the thirdsecond of volume 49, covers entries "[[Mieczysław Szumański|Szumański, Mieczysław]] – [[Fryderyk Szwencki|Szwencki, Fryderyk]]"53.

The ''Dictionary'''s current 4752 volumes (well into "''ST''") range in length from 480 to 830 pages, for a total of over 2833,000, and contain over 27,000 biographies. Some 8,000 individuals have contributed to the ''Dictionary''. Most of its contents are available only in paper form.

Though not a comprehensive source on ''all'' notable Poles, the ''Dictionary'' is substantial and well-respected. Brock et al. write that the "''Polish Biographical Dictionary'' is one of the major achievements of the humanities in 20th-century Poland. The entries reflect the multicultural and multiethnic composition of the pre-partition Polish state [...]. Therefore the dictionary is not 'a biographical dictionary of Poles,' but rather 'a Polish biographical dictionary,' including entries on prominent foreigners who lived in the country as well as representatives of national minorities."<ref name="Brock et al.">Peter{{cite book |editor1-last=Brock, John|editor1-first=Peter |editor2-last=Stanley and|editor2-first=John |editor3-last=Wrobel |editor3-first=Piotr J. Wrobel, ''|title=Nation Andand History: Polish Historians from the Enlightenment to the Second World War'' |date=2006 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |isbn=9780802090362 |oclc=944178864 }}</ref>

While [[Second Polish Republic|prewar Polish governments]] had little influence on ''Dictionary'''s editorial policies, the postwar [[communist]] government of the [[People's Republic of Poland]] interfered substantially regarding who should be included.<ref>Peter {{r|Brock, Johnet Stanley and Piotr Jal. Wrobel, ''Nation And History: Polish Historians from the Enlightenment to the Second World War''</ref>}} Since Poland's 1989 break with the [[Soviet bloc]], this bias has been partly corrected in several supplements.

''Polski słownik biograficzny'' constitutes a unique [[mosaic]] that depicts the full sweep of [[History of Poland|Polish history]] through [[biography|biographies]] of many of the country's most notable sons and daughterspeople.

This reference work has been published in [[Kraków]] since 1935, although publication was suspended during Poland's [[World War II]] occupation by [[Nazi Germany]] and during the [[Stalinism|Stalinist period]]. The ''Dictionary'' is a joint publication of the [[Polish Academy of Sciences]] (''Polska Akademia Nauk'') and the [[Polish Academy of SkillsArts and Sciences|Polish Academy of Learning]] (''Polska Akademia Umiejętności''). The Itproject is editedbased at the [[Tadeusz Manteuffel]] Historical Institute (''{{ill|plInterlanguage link multi|Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla|pl}}'') and is sponsored by the [[Foundation for Polish Learning]] (''Fundacja na Rzecz Nauki Polskiej'') and the [[Ministry of Culture and National Heritage]] (''Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego'').

TheWork at the ''Dictionary'' hadwas been foundedinitiated by [[Władysław Konopczyński]]. The first volume appeared in 1935, and four more (throughwith coverage to "[[Ignacy Dąbrowski|Dąbrowski, Ignacy]]") before [[World War II]]. After the war, by 1949, when Konopczyński was forced by the communist government to resign his editorship, two more volumes had been published (throughcovering bios to "[[Henryk Firlej|Firlej, Henryk]]"). The project was then frozen until 1958, when it was revived under [[Kazimierz Lepszy]]. In 1964, after the ''Dictionary'' had grown by an additional three volumes (throughcovering "[[Pawełbios Jarosiński|to "Jarosiński, Paweł]]"), Lepszy yieldeddied toand was replaced by [[Emanuel Rostworowski]].

During Rostworowski's tenure as editor, the quality of the biographies increased, while government interference and censorship decreased. Twenty-two further volumes had been published (throughcovering bios to "[[Ignacy Różycki|Różycki, Ignacy]]") when Rostworowski in 1989 passed the baton to [[Henryk Markiewicz]]. Under Markiewicz, nine further volumes were published (throughcovering bios to [[Stanisław August Poniatowski]]), as well as a supplementspecial ofvolume ''Uzupełnienia i sprostowania do tomów I-XL'' (Additions''Supplements and Correctionscorrections tofor Volumesvolumes I-XL1–40'') rectifying communist-era bias and censorship. Since 2003, the ''Dictionary'''s editor has been [[Andrzej Romanowski]]. The PSB team estimates theytheir work will endbe their workcomplete around 2030, with expected 62 tomesvolumes.

In 2003, the ''PSB'' has launched its official Internet homepage. In 2010, the project has been unanimously endorsed by the Polish parliament ([[Sejm]]), and given its honorary patronage.

==NotesReferences==

[[Category:1935 non-fiction books]]