Polish History
To the Editor:
Ever since COMMENTARY published the article by Lucy S. Dawidowicz about myself and Marek Edelman [“The Curious Case of Marek Edelman,” March], I have received a steady stream of correspondence from your readers, many of whom have now taken the trouble to read my books on Polish history. It seems to be widely assumed, however, that Heart of Europe: A Short History of Poland (Oxford University Press) is merely a condensation of my larger, two-volume work God’s Playground: A History of Poland (Columbia University Press). In fact, Heart of Europe was designed as a study of the roots of the contemporary crisis in Poland, and as such deliberately steers clear of Jewish and other themes, which are somewhat peripheral to recent events. God’s Playground, in contrast, was designed as a survey of Poland’s multinational heritage, and hopefully addresses itself at every stage to the rich variety of non-Polish strands in the story.
Norman Davies
University of London
School of Slavonic and East European Studies
London, England
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