The Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences
ul. Nowy Świat 72, 00-330 Warsaw
Tel: (+48 22) 826-99-45, 657-28-95
Fax: (+48 22) 826-99-45
E-mail: ibadlit@ibl.waw.pl
Director
Mikołaj Sokołowski, Associate Professor
Deputy director for research issues
Dorota Siwicka, Assistant Professor
Deputy director
Dorota Krawczyńska, Assistant Professor
Office
Anna Ryjak
Tel/Fax: (+48 22) 826-99-45, Tel: (+48 22) 657-28-9
E-mail: ibadlit@ibl.waw.pl
Scientific Council
Chairman of the IBL PAN Scientific Council
Teresa Dobrzyńska-Janusz, Professor
Vice-Chairpersons
Anna Grześkowiak-Krwawicz, Associate Professor
Jacek Leociak, Associate Professor
>>all Scientific Council members
Scientific Council Administration Office
Hanna Grabowska
Tel: (+48 22) 826-69-17, 657-28-50
E-mail: hannag@ibl.waw.pl
The Institute was founded in 1948 and it was first subordinate to the Ministry of Education, then to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Since 1952 it has been part of Division I (Social Sciences) of the Polish Academy of Sciences; while still remaining a part of PAN, in 1998 it obtained its legal personality. Research conducted at the Institute comprises primarily Polish literary history, literary theory, cultural history, literary documentation and lexicography. More about the history>>
The Organizational structure of the Institute comprises several research departments (in the fields of literary history and theory, documentation and lexicography), the Literary Studies Information Center as well as publishing and editorial groups.
The main area of research conducted at the Institute is the Polish literary history; next come: problems of the literary forms theory, historio-literary process, literary language and style, theoretical and historical poetics, research on verse and meter, popular literature, problems of literary culture and literary awareness of different epochs. The Institute also conducts complex bibliographical, documentation, lexicographical and editorial works.
Among its output there are e.g. multi-volume collective belonging to the fundamental Polish Philology framework, syntheses: Historia literatury polskiej [Polish Literary History] (published since 1972), Historia prasy polskiej [History of Polish Press] (1976-1980), Dzieje folklorystyki polskiej 1800-1982 [History of Polish Folklore Studies 1800-1982] (1970-1982); bibliographical, documentation, information and encyclopedic studies: Bibliografia literatury polskiej “Nowy Korbut" [The “Nowy Korbut" Bibliography of Polish Literature] (published since 1963) along with its continuations: Słownik współczesnych pisarzy polskich [Dictionary of Contemporary Polish Writers] (series I 1963-1966, series II 1977-1980) and the Współcześni polscy pisarze i badacze literatury [Contemporary Polish Writers and Literary Researchers] dictionary (published since 1994); Słownik pseudonimów pisarzy polskich [Dictionary of Polish Writers’ Pseudonyms] (1994-1998); current Polska Bibliografia Literacka [Polish Literary Bibliography], covering the period from 1944/1945 (published since 1954) along with a supplement on the period 1939-1945; Literatura polska i teatr w latach II wojny światowej [Polish Literature and Theater in the period of the WWII] (1983-1986); series: Obraz literatury polskiej XIX i XX wieku [The Picture of the 19th and 20th Century Polish Literature] (since 1965), Poetyka. Zarys encyklopedyczny [Poetics. Encyclopedic outline] (since 1956), Vademecum Polonisty [Polish Philologist’s Vademecum] (since 1974); personal bibliographies and writers’ life and work calendars, especially the Kronika życia i twórczości Mickiewicza [Mickiewicz’s Life and Work Chronicle] (since 1957); bibliographies of periodicals’ contents; bibliographies of literary genres (Dramat staropolski od powstania sceny narodowej [Old Polish drama after the creation of the national scene], since 1965); language dictionaries, especially Słownik polszczyzny XVI wieku [16th Century Polish Language Dictionary] (since 1966) and Słownik języka Adama Mickiewicza [Adam Mickiewicz’s Language Dictionary] (1962-1983).
Under the patronage of the Institute critical editions of Polish literary works are published, e.g. the fundamental edition of Bogurodzica or the parliamentary edition of Jan Kochanowski’s Collected Works. The edition of Adam Mickiewicz’s Collected Works is being prepared. Apart from the titles mentioned above numerous series of studies and monographs, e.g. Studia staropolskie [Old Polish Studies] (64 volumes), Studia z okresu Oświecenia [Enlightenment Studies] (26 vol.), Z dziejów form artystycznych w literaturze polskiej [From the History of Artistic Forms in Polish Literature] (85 vol.), editorial series: Archiwum literackie [Literary Archives] (28 vol.), Biblioteka pisarzów polskich [Polish Writers Library] (since 1953 – 30 vol.), Biblioteka pisarzy staropolskich [Old Polish Writers Library] (27 vol.), Biblioteka pisarzy polskiego Oświecenia [Polish Enlightenment Writers Library]. Rich bibliographical and documentation resources are collected in the files of the Institute and can be made available for research purposes; among them: the bibliography of Polish periodicals’ contents of the 19th and 20th centuries (till 1939; the so-called Bar’s bibliography); bibliography of Medieval literaria, the file of handwritten Old Polish texts, the Chronicle of the literary life of People’s Republic of Poland (in a multi-volume typescript), the file of song variants put together by the Folk Literature Section existing at the Institute in 1953-1996.
Conducting its research projects, the Institute cooperates with Polish Philology university departments, foreign research centers, other PAN Division I institutes. It also cooperates with Towarzystwo Literackie im. Adama Mickiewicza [The Adam Mickiewicz Literary Association], with the “Pro Cultura Literaria" Association, with the “Centrum Międzynarodowych Badań Polonistycznych [“Center for International Polish Studies"] Foundation, with the Foundation “Akademia Humanistyczna" [“Humanistic Academy"] and with Towarzystwo Badań Wieku XVIII [the 18th Century Studies Association].
Lately, the Institute has participated in international research programs, preparing and conducting large research and educational programs: “Kanon kultury polskiej w przeobrażającej się Europie" [“Polish Cultural Canon in the changing Europe"] (part of the Phare SCI-TECH Program, 1996 – as the only humanities unit of the PAN) and “Europa Środkowa. Kulturowe kontakty i zależności" [“Central Europe. Cultural contacts and relationships"] (part of the Phare-Fiesta program, 1997-1998). Lately the research and educational program “Polskie dziedzictwo kulturowe w nowej Europie" [“Polish Cultural Heritage in New Europe"] has been initiated by the IBL PAN, in cooperation with national and foreign research centers.
Among the Institute’s activities there is also Polish Studies teaching work. The Institute conducts (with the cooperation of Mazowieckie Towarzystwo Naukowe [The Mazovian Scientific Association]): Postgraduate Studies in Polish Philology; Postgraduate Studies New Secondary School – Knowledge about Culture; the Practical Rhetoric and Criticism Course; the interdisciplinary Postgraduate Humanistic Studies and – (in cooperation with Polska Fundacja Upowszechniania Nauki [the Polish Foundation for the Popularization of Science]) the Postgraduate Studies in Social Communication and Media. In the range of secondary school education, the Institute was the initiator and then (together with the Ministry of National Education) organizer of the Polish Literature and Language Olympics, addressed to students from secondary school on the territory of Poland, and since 1990 also Polish students abroad.
The Library of the Institute of Literary Research is the richest specialist book collection in the field of Polish literary history and literary studies. Along with the current literary and scientific production, it also keeps precious archive and iconography collections and takes care of the Eliza Orzeszkowa archives.
The Institute publishes the periodicals: “Pamiętnik Literacki" and “Teksty Drugie". It has its own Publishing House, which – apart from publishing the works of the Institute – conducts publishing upon order.
The most important publications about the PAN Institute of Literary Research:
- IBL - Instytut Badań Literackich: Informator [IBL – Institute of Literary Research: Information Textbook]. Oprac. Anna Grześkowiak-Krwawicz, Zygmunt Ziątek. Słowo wstępne: Elżbieta Sarnowska-Temeriusz. Warszawa 1994.
- Jadwiga Czachowska: Instytut Badań Literackich PAN. W: Literatura polska XX wieku. Przewodnik encyklopedyczny.T.1. [“The PAN Institute of Literary Research". In: Polish 20th Century Literature. Encyclopedic guide]. Warszawa 2000.
- Kronika Instytutu Badań Literackich PAN. Październik 1947-październik 1987 [The PAN Institute of Literary Research Chronicle. October 1947 – October 1987]. Oprac.: Jadwiga Czachowska, Julia Pitera, Joanna Zawadzka pod red. J. Czachowskiej. "Biuletyn Polonistyczny" 1988 z. 1/2, 3.
- Instytut Badań Literackich Polskiej Akademii Nauk 1948-2001. Książki i czasopisma (bibliografia) [The Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Literary Research 1948-2001. Books and periodicals (bibliography)]. Oprac.: Katarzyna Batora i Barbara Tyszkiewicz pod red. Jadwigi Czachowskiej. Warszawa 2002.