POLIN Reading Room | Maciej Pietrzak "The End of Illusions. Film and March '68"

About the event

Maciej Pietrzak's book is the first comprehensive analysis of film representations of March '68 – one of the most complex and still controversial events in the history of the People's Republic of Poland. The author reconstructs how cinema, over more than five decades, not only reflected dominant narratives about March but also actively co-created the cultural memory of that time. "March '68 was not associated with a collective experience of euphoria, like October '56 or August '80. Its insurrectionary character was less distinct than June '56 or December '70. Over decades, it has been surrounded by a multitude of interpretations – from personal experiences and a sense of generational community to current political interests or historical research," notes the author. Koniec złudzeń is a bold, multifaceted, and dialogical book. It is also a story of cinematic struggles with the memory of March '68, its legacy, and political myths – the most comprehensive to date in Polish humanities literature. During the meeting, the author Maciej Pietrzak will be in conversation with Przemysław Kaniecki. - Free admission - Join us!