 Graham is a translator living in Poland for almost 20 years. In between travelling the length and breadth of the country, he has worked for Collins and Longman publishers and on the Kosciuszko Polish-English dictionaries, among others. His current and recent projects include a translation of the 20th century poet, Konstanty Galczynski, and a book on the songs of Edward Stachura.
Previous Columns
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Love me not Friday 5th March, 2010
""you’ve won it all, you’re so beautiful, you’re a Polish Highness, you’re a lioness…’"
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Poor Justyna Kowalczyk. Poor may not be the right adjective to describe a young sportswoman in the form of her life, who has just returned from the Winter Olympics with gold, silver and bronze medals. Consider that this has earned her oodles of cash and the description becomes positively absurd. But everybody loves a winner, and Kowalczyk has won big. Now everybody loves her.
Parties can be wearing at the best of times, but imagine an entire country determined to enjoy themselves in your name – all that unsolicited bonhomie and friendliness from strangers, it scarcely bears thinking about. Then there’s the fact that Ms Kowalczyk is now credited with having given 14 million men (the entire male population of Poland) the best time of their lives – all at the same time.
Imagine you’ve popped home for one day, having been away for weeks and you’re greeted by brass bands and a supernova of flashbulbs. Then you face a barrage of questions: ‘Justyna, what did it feel like in the last few kilometres?’ ‘What did it feel like when you crossed the line?’ ‘What does it feel like to be home?’
Somehow, among all the fighting press pack, a doddery old chap gets hold of the microphone. ‘Justyna, I can’t read it all, but here is a verse of a poem I’ve written for you: You’re a real winner, you’re a highlander, you’ve won it all, you’re so beautiful, you’re a Polish Highness, you’re a lioness…’ Acclaim is one thing, unwanted adoration is quite another. Poor, poor girl.
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