Exhibition “Parnassus of Warsaw. The 100th Anniversary of the Warsaw City Literary Prize”

EXHIBITION EXTENDED UNTIL 15 NOVEMBER 2026.

The exhibition Parnassus of Warsaw. The 100th Anniversary of the Warsaw City Literary Prize was prepared to mark the jubilee of the establishment of the Warsaw City Literary Prize, one of the most important literary distinctions in Poland. The exhibition traces the history of the Prize in the years 1926–1938 and in 1946, and presents the profiles of the writers it honoured and their creative output.

Among the protagonists of the exhibition are: Władysław Mickiewicz, Wacław Sieroszewski, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Artur Oppman, Wacław Berent, Władysław Orkan, Zdzisław Dębicki, Józef Weyssenhoff, Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, Szymon Askenazy, Pola Gojawiczyńska, Roman Kołoniecki, Maria Kuncewiczowa, Leopold Staff and Władysław Broniewski. The narrative places their work in its historical and cultural context, underlining the significance of the Prize as an initiative that strengthened literary life in the twentieth century.

The chosen format offers a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the literary and cultural world of the interwar period. The exhibition features manuscripts, prewar book editions, personal mementos, photographs and objects associated with the laureates, drawn from the collections of the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature, as well as large-format enlargements and a colourised prewar film about Warsaw by Julien Bryan.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue containing photographs of the objects, an essay devoted to the Prize, and a selection of press clippings from the period. These materials show how lively the debates sparked by the jury’s verdicts and the profiles of the laureates were, also beyond the literary community.

An integral part of the exhibition is a set of accompanying events, including a competition announced by the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature in Warsaw for a poster devoted to the history of the Warsaw City Literary Prize in the years 1926–1938 and in 1946. Its aim is to recall the writers honoured with this distinction. The winning entries will be presented in the Museum’s space and in a leaflet accompanying the exhibition.

As part of the Year of Pola Gojawiczyńska in Masovia, the exhibition “Next Door to Pola Gojawiczyńska” will also be presented, accompanied by a commemorative publication.

The exhibition “Parnassus of Warsaw. The 100th Anniversary of the Warsaw City Literary Prize” offers not only an opportunity to deepen knowledge of the history of Polish literature, but also invites reflection on the role of literary prizes in cultural life.

CURATORS: Grażyna Ryfka, Martyna Replin-Bala

VERNISSAGE: 15 April, 18:00

OPENING WEEKEND: 17–19 April

Admission to the exhibition during the opening weekend costs one złoty.

The exhibition is held under the honorary patronage of the Marshal of the Masovian Voivodeship.

The Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature is financed from funds of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Masovian Voivodeship Local Government