Department of Slavonic Studies

Polish at Cambridge: Annual Zdanowich Lectures

'The Polish Path to Freedom '                                                           

Thursday 26 May 2011, 5pm
The Winstanley Theatre, Trinity College
Cambridge CB2 1TQ

Guest Lecture by Adam Michnik
Hosted by Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge

A Celebration of the Past and Future of Polish Studies at the Univeristy of Cambridge In the year in which Poland takes over the presidency of the European Union, Adam Michnik will talk about Poland's transiton from communism to democracy in a guest lecture organised by the University of  Cambridge Department of Slavonic Studies.

The Department of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge taught Polish language, literature and history from 1960 to 1999. This event is held to celebrate the longstanding presence of Polish in Cambridge, and in order to raise awareness of the potential to re-establish this presence.

Adam Michnik was a leading light of the Polish opposition movement during the last two decades of communism. He played a crucial role in both the Solidarity strikes of 1981 and the transition to democracy in 1989. He has gone from being a political prisoner in the Polish People's Republic to a member of parliament in the post-communist era, from a champion of illegal underground press to the founder and editor-in-  chief of Poland's leading daily newspaper, and, according to the Financial Times, one of the 20 most influential journalists in Europe. His high-profile work as an essayist, historian and political commentator means that he continues to be one of the most influential figures in Polish public life.