Polish Government Destroys Print Run Of Chopin Book

In a story that's apparently the talk of Poland today and just now hitting English-language wire stories, Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Borkowski has said that a graphic novel commissioned from publisher kultura gniewu about Frederyk Chopin aimed for distribution to schoolchildren will have its print run destroyed and that there may be action against government representatives that allowed it to be published.

The graphic novel, apparently sponsored jointly by the Polish Embassy in Berlin and Poland's Foreign Ministry to the tune of 27,000 euros, had come under fire for the salty language employed in a prison concert sequence, including but not limited to the provocative turn of phrase "fucking fag-holocaust." The story in question is from artist Krzysztof Ostrowski.

In speaking to media this week, Foreign Minister Radolsaw Sikorski had called the language and subsequent publication of same a mistake, and actually focused specific blame on a supervising employee at the embassy in Berlin -- an employee that no longer works there. It does seem as if there was approval for the publication, which makes moves like this one and any potential subsequent ones that are punitive in nature deeply unfortunate. Two thousand copies had been printed.

A video report spotlighting panels from the book can be seen here. Copies have already hit auction sites, meaning that aside from the troubling move and the potential fallout, this may end up being a rare comic for the ages.

(thanks, Christian Maiwald)
 
posted 10:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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