Polish Heritage Book Club
Since 2005, the Polish Heritage Association of Maryland (PHAM) has sponsored a monthly Book Club. We are dedicated
to reading and then discussing works by Polish authors or members of the Polish Diaspora (Polonia). Although we emphasize
selections from the Polish literary canon, we also consider other works that feature Polish characters, settings, or themes.
All readings and discussions are done in English. To participate, email RecordingSecretaryPHAM@gmail.com.
Recent Book Club Selections
April 2026
11 The Fair Folk and Little
Orphan Mary
by Maria Konopnicka
March 2026
14 Excerpts of works by
philosopher and author Stanislaw Brzozowski (1878-1911), as translated by Michael Mikos
February 2026
14 Blessed Hanna Chrzanowska,
RN: A Nurse of Mercy
January 2026
11 “Mendel Gdanski", “Rota”,
and “Smoke”
by Maria Konopnicka
December 2025
13 “Christmas Day at Sea” (1924)
Polish author Joseph Conrad
November 2025
11. Echoes of Tattered Tongues
by John Guzlowski
October 2025
10 The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman
by Andrzej Szczypiorski
September 2025
14 Jadwiga’s Crossing,
by Aloysius A. and Richard J. Lutz
May 9, 2026
Book Club Selection
At the Book Club meeting on May 9, we will discuss the play called Mazeppa, by Juliusz Slowacki. This tragedy presents an out-of-the-mainstream look at the real-life person Ivan Mazepa, who, as legend has it, was strapped to the back of a horse in punishment for an indiscretion. The mainstream story appears in a narrative poem by Lord Byron. Scans of the English translation by Cecilia Dolenga Wells and Carlton F. Wells are available by email request to dstassone@gmail.com.
Illustration by James Hopwood the Younger - http://www.polona.pl/dlibra/doccontent2?id=5323&from=latest, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3183870
Upcoming Selections
June 20, 2026 --
Malvina, or the Heart’s Intuition
by Maria Wirtemberska
July - August 2026 -- Summer Break
September - December 2026 -- To be announced
A downloadable list of our readings over the past 20 years can be found below.