make-up / hair / dress design i stylizacja : Paula Dzwigała
m: Magda AW-AGENCE
asysta: Maja Kotala, Jasio Narczyk (TOJA), Tomasz Kempski (TOJA)

Podziekowania dla Panstwa KOTALA - za wszystko ( bo dlugo by wymieniac )

wkrotce upload zdjec z sesji...czekamy takze na film back-stejdżowy ktory , jak tylko bedzie , tez umiescimy,

yo

yo

"Die FPÖ verwahre sich auf das Schärfste gegen die gestrige Berichterstattung der APA zur Wahlkampfschlußveranstaltung der FPÖ am Viktor Adler Platz. Weder waren vor Ort Rechtsextreme anwesend, noch wurde von Seiten der FPÖ-Sympatisanten mit Gegenständen geworfen. Diese politisch eindeutig gefärbte Berichterstattung sei einer unabhängigen Presseagentur unwürdig und lasse eindeutig politische Motivation erkennen. Faktum sei, daß Linkextremisten und Autonome friedliche Teilnehmer der FPÖ-Kundgebung mit diversen Gegenständen beworfen und auch in unmittelbarer Nähe zur Bühne eine Nebelgranate gezündet haben. Diese - allesamt bei der Polizei dokumentierten - Vorfälle haben im Anschluss dazu geführt, daß es vier Festnahmen auf Seiten der Linksextremisten gab. Eigentlich unglaublich, daß es der APA nicht wert war auch darüber zu berichten, so heute der Landesparteisekretär der FPÖ, Hans-Jörg Jenewein in einer Reaktion auf die gestrige Berichterstattung.

Im Nachfeld der FPÖ-Veranstaltung sei es zudem zu einem Brandanschlag am Viktor-Adler-Markt gekommen - die Täter werden von der Polizei ebenfalls im links-sozialistischen Milieu vermutet - zudem haben noch in den frühen Abendstunden vor dem Polizeikommissariat Van-der-Nüll-Gasse rund 50 Linksextreme randaliert und wollten die vier festgenommen Gewalttäter freipressen. Drei FPÖ-Wahlkampfbusse sind im Zuge der gestrigen Veranstaltung beschädigt worden, wobei ein Fahrzeug völlig demoliert wurde, so Jenewein.

Die FPÖ möchte in diesem Zusammenhang der Polizei vor Ort und den leitenden Beamten herzlich für ihre Einsatzbereitschaft und Zusammenarbeit danken. Es habe sich einmal mehr gezeigt, daß auf die
Wiener Polizei Verlass ist. Wien ist nicht Köln und so soll es auch in Zukunft bleiben, so Jenewein.

Daß vom linksextremen Stadtrat der Grünen und "Daniel-Cohn-Bendit-Sympathisant", David E. ,Tatsachenverdrehung und Falschmeldungen publiziert werden sei nicht weiter verwunderlich und müsse eigentlich erwartet werden. Die Wiener Grünen sind schon jetzt in der Wahldepression und schlagen nur noch wild um sich. Daß sich jedoch die APA auf dieses Niveau herablasse und hier den Sympathisanten der Linksautonomen auch noch durch eine politisch gefärbte Agenturmeldung Munition liefere, sei in dieser Form neu und werde von uns auch entsprechend gewertet, so Jenewein abschließend."

The Czech throne was taken by John of Luxembourg who ruled the country from 1310 to 1346. During his reign, the territory of the Czech lands expanded and Prague continued to grow. The Prague Castle Area (Hradčany) was founded around 1320, followed by the Old Town Hall in 1338.

During the reign of John of Luxembourg's son Charles IV, the Czech lands experienced the Golden Age of their history. Charles IV was a highly educated man (he spoke five languages), an excellent diplomat and a very good king. He established Prague as the cultural capital of central Europe and made it one of the most prosperous European cities at the time. The Czech language was promoted to the official language in the country along with Latin and German, and the position of Bohemia became very strong.

Charles IV loved Prague and the city flourished during his rule. Outside of Prague, Charles attempted to expand the Bohemian crown lands, using his imperial authority to acquire fiefs in Silesia, the Upper Palatinate, and Franconia. The latter regions comprised "New Bohemia", a string of possessions intended to link Bohemia with the Luxemburg territories in the Rhineland. The Bohemian estates were not, however, willing to support Charles in these ventures. When Charles sought to codify Bohemian law in the Majestas Carolina of 1355 he met with sharp resistance. After that point, Charles found it expedient to scale back his efforts at centralization.

The Prague bishopric was upgraded to an archbishopric and when the king was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor in 1355, Prague's status increased to the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Many building projects were started during Charles' reign, including the St. Vitus Cathedral. In 1348, Prague's New Town (Nové město) was founded, the Charles University was established to become the first university in Central Europe, and the Karlštejn castle was founded to protect the imperial jewels and other treasures. The construction of Charles Bridge began in 1357 at the place where Judith Bridge once stood (it collapsed in a flood in 1342).

Charles IV is remembered as the most beloved Czech king and the "father of the Czech nation". Charles IV's son and successor Wenceslas IV took the throne after his father and his reign extended into the time of the Hussite wars of the 15th century.

Some time after my father had died, my two sons expressed an interest in seeing his home village in Silesia. I need to explain that just a little. The Prondzynski family (or rather, I should say Pradzynski) had its origins in the Kasubian region of Poland, and my father's branch of it eventually migrated to the Opole region of Silesia (or as my father would have called it, Oppeln). There they developed a strong profile as landowners, soldiers and industrialists, in what became a Prussian or German province. In the Second World War my father was a German army officer, and at the end of the war he was unable to return home (which hadbecome part of Poland), and re-started his life in what became West Germany. Later he and the family moved to Ireland.

Although he had lost his home and the property located there, he never lost a sense of belonging there, and later when the political situation became easier he was a frequent visitor to his home town. I think he regretted that his family home had been lost, but I never heard him complain, and he was full of praise at what Poland had made of it. It was his wish that one day I would visit it, too. I probably wouldn't have, but on the urging of my sons we did, during a family holiday when we were based not too far away across the German border.

When we actually made it there - the town where he was born and raised is called Groszowice, or Groschowitz in German - my sons almost immediately lost interest (partly because we got there in foul weather), but totally unexpectedly I found myself emotionally engaged. Seeing his old family home (still intact but with new owners who kindly let me in), and suddenly recognising places and scenes from his descriptions that I had, after all, stored away in my memory had a profound effect on me. This was reinforced even further when some local people, who had heard I was there, stopped me in the street and assured me how important my family connection was with the town. And finally, in the pouring rain an elderly lady who remembered my father as a boy showed me the small square which, until the 1950s, had been named after my great grandfather, an association the town council was hoping to re-establish (but a petition for which I gently declined to sign). The lady told me, as I left, that they considered me as the town's most celebrated living son, which while absurd at one level left me speechless.

So I returned home with just a little bit of a different perspective on where I am from. We are all from somewhere. Sometimes that is a place we know about, sometimes it is more intangible, but somewhere in our past or the past before us there is some association that helps to define us. I am still not quite sure what that is in my case, but I am working on it. I now know more about my very varied family history than I did before, and am learning new things as I begin to look through my father's archives. And some chance encounters - which I shall write about separately in the future - have given me unexpected insights into who I am. None of us should ever wilfully ignore history.

Quasi sempre ci sono gli articoli dedicati ai Paesi situati al mare. Questa volta, però, ho scelto una repubblica non grande situata nel cuore del continente europeo. E' il Paese da cui vengo io e quindi se qulacuno sarà interessato per le informazioni, potrà rivolgersi direttamente a me :-)

La Repubblica Ceca è un paese la cui storia risale pressoché a 1200 anni fa, una storia ricca e anche drammatica.. La Repubblica Ceca è divisa in 3 zone geografiche: Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia. Quello che hanno in comune queste tre regioni è la dimensione del paesaggio che non abbatte il visitatore con la monumentalità, ma lo invita con gentilezza a soggiornarvi. La Repubblica Ceca è conosciuta soprattutto per la sua tradizione culturale ed artisitca che è impressa non solo in migliaia di città, forti, castelli o edifici religiosi ma anche nell' aspetto  stesso del paessaggio coltivato dei paesi boemi. Ci sono anche delle città che sono state iscritte nella lista dei complessi tutelati dell' UNESCO - per esempio la capitale Praga, Kutna Hora, Cesky Krumlov, Telc.

Negli ultimi anni il turismo è aumentato molto, Ogni anno ci vengono turisti di varie nazionalità, tra cui la maggior parte sono italiani, giapponesi e russi. Le cose preferite dai visitatori sono le terme, i castelli, i monumenti sacri e il turismo congressuale. La zona termale più visitata si trova in Boemia Occidentale, dove trovate  le tre più famose terme: Karlovy Vary, Frantiskovy lazne, Marianske lazne e anche la città della birra deliziosa - Plzen.

Invece la zona ricca di castelli è la Bohemia Meridionale. E' una regione di bellezze naturali, stagni e gioielli dell' archittetura urbana e popolare.

Comunque ciascuna zona della Repubblica Ceca ha la sua potenzialità e ospitalità. Sicuramente varrebbe la pena descrivere tutte le zone ceche separatamente. Magari mi darò da fare e vi presenterò tutte le regioni nei prossimi articoli :-)

Veronika

Aatrial House, built for a family of three, rises from a beautiful open site not far from Opole in the Southern Polish region of Silesia. The plot had one main drawback; access. To avoid having the driveway running right through the garden, the access was partly sunk into the ground and the garden level raised, using tonnes of earth trucked in from a nearby highway construction site.

The house's inner atrium arose out of the way the road rises up in the heart of the house - from a distance, the clean, modern lines give nothing away, but as the motorist approaches the cobbled roadway dips away beneath the building, then rises up to the internal courtyard.

The traditional functions of an atrium - conversation, circulation and relaxation - have been replaced by those of traffic and entry.

KWK PROMES, the only Polish practice in this year's 101 Architects directory, was founded by partners Robert Konieczny and Marlena Wolnik in 1999, and has offices in Ireland and Poland.

Their modern aesthetic is well represented by this expansive new villa, with its sharp details, like the skewed steel and glass staircase, scattered around the minimally furnished living spaces.

The house opens up to the landscape on all sides, thanks to large expanses of glass and terraces that reach into into the garden, along with a reflecting pool. In contrast, the central atrium space has just five windows. Here the standard plan of the classic Roman atrium has been redefined: Aatrial House closes inwards and opens outwards.

Drugi z ambigramów powstał na zasadzie wymiany litery za literę. Nie jestem w stu procentach zadowolony z efektu finalnego, jednak muszę przyznać, że wymieniające się nawzajem znaki nie ułatwiały zadania. Konstrukcję tego ambigramu rozpocząłem od centralnie położonej litery E. Przekształcenie L w S nie jest zbyt naturalne, ale póki co na lepszy pomysł nie wpadłem. Co prawda ta sama para liter pojawiła się w ambigramie la tabla de Flandes, ale tam napis stylizowany był na gotyk i mogłem pozwolić sobie na nieco więcej udziwnień. Zaskakująco dla mnie udało się przekształcić S w A. Zwłaszcza ta druga litera prezentuje się intrygująco.

post scriptum

Chwilę po opublikowaniu tego wpisu "olśniło" mnie w kwestii możliwego przekształcenia litery L w S, które prezentuję poniżej. Z pewnością poprawia ono czytelność litery L. Z czytelnością litery S w tej formie jest nieco gorzej. Jeśli nadarzy się okazja (odpowiednie słowo do przekształcenia) wykorzystam to rozwiązanie stylizując litery na pisankę.

Żeby tradycji stało się zadość i ten wpis muszę opatrzyć jakąś ilustracją :-) Szkoda, że nie wiedziałem gdzie opublikowany zostanie ten wywiad, gdyż słowo Silesia wydaje się być całkiem ciekawym tematem na ambigram. Póki co prezentuję wyszperany w moim archiwum bardzo prosty ambigram angielskiego słowa Source. Powstał on na bazie kroju Times New Roman, choć po modyfikacjach jakim poddałem litery pozostało niewiele z jego charakterystycznych cech. Na uwagę zasługuje sposób w jaki utworzona została litera C. Powstała ona z, nazwijmy to umownie "zasłoniętego" przez inną literę O. Można było przekształcić te litery w inny sposób - jednak wtedy ambigram utraciłby wiele ze swojej prostoty.

As the manifesto of 2008 Toruń Manifa (march of protesters) says, 'Women are everywhere, they are 50% of the society. Yet their voice is not being heard. Women issues and problems women have are ignored and marginalised. We are fed up with this. Therefore it's high time we did something about it.'

Among the demands, this movement voices, are: proper sex education in schools; easy access to contraception; abolishing the gender role stereotypes that people are socialised to; right to decide about oneself and one's body; no more treating women as sexual objects; no more treating women like little girls whose opinion doesn't matter; no more ignoring the needs of women who are elderly, poor, homosexual, of different ethnicity, of low social standing, handicapped or in some other way not-matching the mainstream stereotype of what is feminine.

This is a grass-roots democratic movement with no one single nationwide organiser. In each town a local committee forms itself, comprising NGOs, university gender studies scientific associations, informal groups or individuals. Therefore these events should be rather seen as a wider movement powered by various people. This tends to be difficult to comprehend for the media, who are used to dealing with a clear hierarchy.

Manifas are cheerful and fun events with lots of open-minded people, colourful clothes, and a serious message. It is a good idea to join this lot in a weekend, you might meet some interesting people. It happens sometimes that a counter demonstration, in this or that city, are organised by nationalist youth groups, who might shout hateful slogans. Be warned - if you're a sensitive person. Yet there is no danger, as the police are always well prepared to ensure everyone's safety.

Join the action in your city with this All - Poland guide:
This post will be updated when further news are released.

---------------------------------

G D A Ń S K / S O P O T / G D Y N I A

8 March manifa launches at 14:00 from Cinema City Krewetka in Gdańsk, ul. Karmelicka 1. Colourful and loud march of women will be accompanied by samba sounds

Other events in Tricity:

7 March, 16:00 Exhibition opening "Women in Sejm", Biblioteka Główna UG (University of Gdańsk Library), ul. Wita Stwosza 53, Gdańsk

7 March, 17:00 Political debate with Iwona Guzowska (Civic Platform),Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka (The Left and Democrats), Anna Kornacka (Women's Party) and Beata Maciejewska (Greens 2004). Wydział Prawa i Administracji (Law and Administration Department), Audytorium C, ul. Bażyńskiego 6, Gdańsk

8 March 20:00, Afterparty at Faktoria, ul. Rzemieślnicza 26, Sopot.
Programme includes
- Hubert Bilewicz's presentation on homoerotic motifs in paintings of Tamara Lempicka.
- Exhibition of paintings by Anna Mackiewicz "Woman, woman, woman..."
- Presentation of feminist cartoon satire
- Music by DJ A.A.

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Ł Ó D Ź

8 March Manifa launches at 15:00 on the corner of ul. Łodzianki (former Piotrkowska) and Pasaż Włókniarki (former Schiller) with unveiling of a Woman of Łódź (Łodzianka) monument.

Other events in Łódź:

1 March 21:00, Party raising funds for Manifa, Drag Shows, Club la Foufoune

6 March 18:00,  Iza Desperak lecture "Why a flower is not enough for Eves?" at UŁ Ethnology Institute, ul. Jaracza 78, room 35

7 March (time tba), Women's Lemon Night + opening of an exhibition of photographs entitled "Our ladies", Cinema Cytryna

Workshops for teachers, educators and leaders at Centrum Praw Kobiet (Centre for Women's Rights), ul. Piotrkowska 115, left wing, first floor. Participants will receive certificates.
7 March 14:00 - "Gender and human rights in youth education"
7 March 16:30 - antihomophobic workshop "Teacher without prejudices"
8 March 12:00 - "Intermediate Gender"

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K R A K O W

8 March Manifa launches at 14:00 from Barbakan.

Other events in Krakow:

3 March: 20:00, Party "Feminism the Slovakian way", Kawiarnia Naukowa (ul. Jakuba 29). Knohe band from Bratislava, doing electronic music. Best outfit competition - fancy dress encouraged.

4March 17:00, Film screening: "Anatomie de l'enfer", Kino 18, ul. Floriańska 18, 2nd floor

4 March 19:00, "Seeking the traces of goddess" - discussion forum at eFKka foundation, ul. Krakowska 26/1 (in Polish)

5 March18:00, Film screening: "Iron Jawed Angels", the herstory of Alice Paul + discussion moderated by Agata Teutsch. Klub Bunkra Sztuki.

8 March 20:00, The Dolls party, Cafe Stranger, ul. Dietla 97.

15-16 March, WenDo workshop - self-defence and assertive attitude class for women. For details contact agata.teutsch@wendo.org.pl.

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P O Z N A Ń

8 March Manifa launches at 14:30 near Stary Marych (corner of Półwiejska and Strzelecka), will go through Stary Rynek to Plac Wolności.

Slogan: POzostaje nam tylko ironia (All we have left is irony)

This year's manifa in Poznań will concentrate critically on the current government's attitude to women's issues.

Other events in Poznań:

7 March, 19:00, Debate with politicians on the situation of women after the 2007 election, (Głośna Samotność Bookshop, ul. Ratajczaka 18)

8 March, 17:30, Dia de Mujeres, Głośna Samotność Bookshop, ul. Ratajczaka 18

8 March, 21:00, Afterparty in Klubokawiarnia Meskal, ul. Nowowiejskiego 17 (corner of Młyńska)

9 March, 12:00, Open information meeting about breast cancer and cervical cancer prevention. Ośrodek Babiląd, ul. Bukowska 31/6

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T O R U Ń

8 March Manifa will launch at the Old Town Market Square near Copernicus statue (at 14:00), going through ul. Szeroka, ul. Świętej Jadwigi to New Town Market Square and back.

Slogan: Kobiety wyjdźcie z cienia (Women, come out of the shadow!)

Other events in Toruń:

4 March 18:30: "Dakini and the Guardian Lady - the angry face of womanhood in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism" lecture at the English Department of the Nicolaus Copernicus University. Collegium Maius - Wydział Filologiczny, Fosa Staromiejska 11, room 311 (2nd floor).

6 March 19:00: Movie screening: "If Walls Could Talk 2", Przestrzeń Alternatywna LaLucza, ul. Podmurna 30/4, (part of Women's cinema month at LaLucza).

7 March (time tba): Interdisciplinary conference: "Female perspectives: Woman - a gender, a phenomenon, a human or a subject of research?". Various speakers. Muzeum Okręgowe, Kamienica pod Gwiazdą, Old Town Market Square.

8 March 20:00: Afterparty (entrance fee 3zł) at NRD/Galeria Dla... ul. Browarna 6.
Exhibitions of works by Xavier Bayle ("More Than Bodies" - what is woman's body?) and photographs by Beaty Ziemowska and Katarzyna Jankowska ("Kobiety na Rozbracie" - )
Performances by Xavier Bayle ("History of one liberation" - Polish version of the bobbits, as Mickewicz would have never described it); by To Masz Cebo (live installation "TEST"); and by Dagmara Pochyła (installation with performative participation of the artist "NEWS")
Party: DJane LU: experimental, electronica, breakcore, drill, digital hardcore, hard step with Drag Queens and Drag Kings.

---------------------------------

S I L E S I A
( K A T O W I C E)

8 March Manifa launches at 11.00 from the square in front of Teatr Śląski in Katowice.

Slogan: Solidarność jest rodzaju żeńskiego (Solidarity is of feminine gender)

Manifa in Silesia will stress the need for solidarity between women. Solidarity above differences: in class, financial status, education, profession, health, political or religious denomination, cultural background, age or sexual orientation.

Organisers encourage to bring bicycles, noise-making devices and fancy hats.

Anyone wishing to lend his hand in preparing signs, and other manifa gear, is asked to pop to Złoty Osioł Restaurant (ul. Mariacka 1) at 9:00 am.

---------------------------------

S Z C Z E C I N

9 March (!!!) Manifa launches 12:00 from Plac Lotników through Plac Grunwaldzki, City Council building to Rusałka (where Marzan, the male version on Marzanna, will be drowned).

Slogan: Świadoma kobieta to zdrowa kobieta (Woman aware of her rights is a healthy woman)

This year's Manifa in Szczecin will concentrate on health issues. Women often dedicate their lives to both housework and professional work, taking care of their family they ignore their own health. Many conditions are therefore discovered too late to be treated. Women are uninformed in health matters due to lack of accessible information, caused by insufficient government policies in health awareness. Unsuitably equipped state surgeries, worsening image of medical staff, long waiting list - discourage women from taking interest in their health. Szczein's Manifa will also stress the problem of infertility and IVF. Infertility treatment should be included free of charge within the state healthcare system. Prenatal examination should be available to all women.

---------------------------------

W A R S A W

8 March Manifa launches at 12:00 from Plac Defilad near Teatr Dramatyczny.

Slogan: Wielki Marsz Solidarności Kobiet.

Other events in Warsaw:

8 March, 18:00: Post-manifa chill-out. Sylwia Chutnik promotes her book "Kieszonkowy Atlas Kobiet" ("Pocket atlas of women"), Świetlica Raster, ulica Hoża 42 m.8

More from Warsaw to be announced.

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Read my other posts.

]]> http://scatts.wordpress.com/2007/11/12/silesia/ Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:01:06 +0000 scatts http://scatts.pl.wordpress.com/2007/11/12/silesia/ After dropping my daughter at przedszkola this morning I got stuck behind this.

Nothing unusual in that, it happens every morning, but I thought you might like to see what the back end of a bus looks like here in Warsaw. I was also struck by the unmissable advert for yet another Polish city looking to get in on the action. Katowice is in the Silesia (more precisely, Upper Silesia) region of Poland, down south, about 3 hrs drive from Warsaw but only 1 hr west of Krakow. This part of Poland reminds me very much of the Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr Area) of Germany that I experienced some years back when living and working in Germany or what was the "Black Country" of England. A massive industro-urban mess of dirty cities all stuck together with a history of coal mining, steel and other unfashionable activities. In all these cases, the population of any one city is nothing amazing but they are so closely connected that when you add them all up you end up with a very significant population in a small area. In the case of Poland, the Upper Silesian coal basin, more or less centred around Katowice, has getting on for 4 million inhabitants, easily twice the size of greater Warsaw.

Gradually, the old industrial activities die out. Certainly the younger residents drift away from the life of their fathers in search of jobs where an iPhone would not be out of place. This is being made possible in Silesia by the influx of new investment into the area. The area is attractive for many reasons, primarily;

1. Good supply of well educated young workers (and if my experience of employing people from this region is anything to go by, hard working people too)
2. Good language skills, especially if you're looking for German (again my experience, in this region a foreigner is more likely to be spoken to in German first and English second)
3. Good central location within Central Europe as a whole
4. Reasonably affluent by Polish standards
5. Lots of incentives to invest provided by the local authorities
6. Relatively cheap labour costs

This is bringing all kinds of new opportunities to the region. Ones I know about include car manufacturing/assembly, logistics, light industrial and many many BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) offices. We've worked on projects for a variety of well known international companies, mainly technology or finance, who have opened offices in this general area of Poland. We must have created office space for a few thousand people all told. Has to be said that, thus far, most of these companies have opted for places like Krakow or Wroclaw, which are on the fringes of this region but far more attractive places to hang out. Even so, for the workforce, it is significantly better than having to relocate to Warsaw.

I have to say I found it somewhat amusing about two years ago to see these companies creating all those jobs in Poland at exactly the same time as hundreds of thousands of Poles were leaving the country to find jobs in the UK or Ireland! I think both were inevitable but the timing was "interesting", as the Chinese might say. A couple of years on and it seems this swimming against the tide has not had a significant detrimental effect. I would speculate that business plans as regards labour costs have proved to be a tad optimistic but that's a good thing and I'm sure these companies can easily afford it. Better than investing in the sub-prime mortgage market for damned sure!

Anyway, this is getting boring, even for me. So why not brush off that gifted child you have, stick their name in for the 8th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors (as advertised on the back end of a bus) and get yourself down to Katowice. You know it makes sense.

Oh. In case anyone thinks I've got a problem with coal mining or other such occupations, here's a picture of my Grandfather, Bill (seated front right), who was 2nd Officer of a mine rescue team in the 1930's:

La historia de la decadencia y caída del imperio romano, es uno de esos libros en los que un solo hombre lleva a cabo una tarea que resultaría dificultosa a una academia entera. Otro ejemplo es el Diccionario de Samuel Johnson, otro el Diccionario etimológico de Corominas, y otro, también español, el Diccionario de María Moliner.

Pero el mérito de la monumental historia de Gibbon no es sólo la amplitud del empeño de su autor, sino que además es uno de esos libros que asombran, deslumbran y llenan de conocimiento al lector, cuyo tesón se ve recompensado de manera generosa. Así son los Anales de Tácito, la Historia de Heródoto, En busca del tiempo perdido de Proust, La rama dorada de Frazer, Las filosofías de la India de Zimmer, La historia de la filosofía china de Fun Yu Lang, La Filosofía en la Edad Media de Gilson, La filosofía de las formas simbólicas de Cassirer, La Diosa Blanca de Robert Graves, la recopilación de los Filósofos presocráticos de Diels/Kranz o similares, Paidea de Werner Jaeger, la Metafísica de Aristoteles y, en fin, los Ensayos de Montaigne y el conjunto de la obra de algunos autores considerado como eso, como un corpus: Platón, Shakespeare, Borges, Balzac, Goethe, los trágicos griegos, Leibniz, y tal vez la Biblia. Después de leer esos libros, uno ya no puede ser el mismo, la densidad, la suma de datos, nombres, fechas, acontecimientos, situaciones, ideas y conceptos es tan desmesurada que parece como si se hubiese aprendido un nuevo idioma o se hubiese descubierto un nuevo color o una manera distinta de ver las cosas.

No se trata de las obras más hermosas, aunque muchas de ellas lo son, sino de aquellas que crean, en cierto modo, un mundo autosuficiente en sí mismas.

Así que de Gibbon sólo citaré algunas cosas y diré algunos datos.

Edward Gibbon nació en Surrey en 1737. Niño precozmente interesado en la literatura clásica, ya era un erudito a los quince años, pero Roma le transformó como a Goethe. En un viaje a Roma concibió la idea de contar la historia no de su grandeza, sino de su decadencia. Su libro pasmó a su época e influyó en muchos otros, siendo el más evidente La decadencia y caída de los imperios, de Spengler. Pero también recibió críticas, por ejemplo por considerar que una de las causas de la decadencia de Roma había sido el cristianismo.

Como es obvio, desde la época de Gibbon, se saben muchas más cosas acerca de Roma y a veces se encuentran críticas injustas a su obra por errores de documentación o apreciación, similares a las que recibe la obra de Winckelmann por historiadores del arte sin duda no más capaces que él, pero sí mejor informados gracias al impulso que el mismo dio a la disciplina.

Decía Gibbon:

"Las ideas que los libros puedan habernos trasmitido sobre la grandeza de este pueblo, su relato sobre el momento más floreciente de Roma queda infinitamente corto ante la imagen de sus ruinas. Estoy convencido de que nunca ha existido una nación semejante y espero, por la felicidad del género humano, que nunca vuelva a existir"

Cuenta Gibbon que los pueblos orientales apellidaban al politeísmo y la filosofía de los griegos "la espada de Aristóteles".

Al leer la sucesión de emperadores que se matan unos a otros, a las legiones proclamando nuevos césares y degollándolos poco después, a la guardia pretoriana asesinando a toda la familia gobernante y nombrando a un títere que enseguida es traicionado por su consejero o por un senador ambicioso, se entiende que llega un momento en el que ya nadie quería ser emperador. Este asombroso resultado, este freno a la ambición de gobernar el mayor imperio del mundo (excepto la China Tang), resulta de lo más natural tras la acumulación de muertes, sangre, horror y traición siglo tras siglo. Por ello, los nuevos emperadores se resisten, no con fingido cálculo, sino con verdadera sinceridad a ceñir la corona que es como la soga del ahorcado.

También resultan sobrecogedores los excesos de los emperadores, su locura, su crueldad infatigable. Pero hay excepciones, claro, y la más hermosa es tal vez Marco Aurelio y los Antoninos.

Me dio mucha pena la destrucción definitiva del templo de Diana en Éfeso por los godos, considerado una de las maravillas de la Antigüedad. Precisamente, al ver en Roma los restos de las obras griegas y romanas, como la estatua en pedazos de Constantino, el Hércules cansado, el toro Farnesio, y otras que no pudimos ver, como el Apolo del Belvedere, aquel torso no recuerdo de quien, Laooconte y sus hijos, etcétera, lo que te marea es pensar en lo que debió existir, pues eso son sólo restos casi siempre encontrados casualmente, que sobrevivieron a la destrucción y a los continuos saqueos. Un ejemplo sencillo es que se conservan al parecer más cosas relacionadas con Constantino que con cualquier otro, por ser el que adoptó el cristianismo, y que un hermoso Marco Aurelio a caballo que vimos en los Museos Capitolinos se conserva porque los cristianos creyeron que se trataba del propio Constantino. Si en Pompeya se encontraron tantísimas cosas hermosas, ¿qué habría en Roma? Gibbon, con ayuda de un historiador francés parece responder a esta pregunta:

"Conceptúase en decenas de miles las obras de arte romanas y griegas que han sido destruidas por el arrojo inculto de los bárbaros, las iras de la insensata guerra civil o el desafuero de los príncipes y tiranos. Hizo no hace mucho Tillemont el cálculo peregrino y fatigoso de la suma de bronce, oro, mármol, esquisto y todo metal noble y piedra trabajada que fue arte de la más excelsa altura y luego espadas, muros, cañones, arena o polvo, y llegó el esforzado historiador a aventurar que si todo ello se juntara y se arrojara a el Canal de la Mancha, nuestra nación cesaría de ser isleña y los franceses podrían llegar a nuestras ciudades caminando sobre estatuas, edificios, mosaicos y joyas amontonadas en el lecho del océano".

Reproduzco por último un fragmento de Gibbon acerca del pueblo lijio (aunque más que de Gibbon es de Tácito):

"Mas eran los lijios los invasores más formidables de la Galia, pueblo remoto que reinaba allá por una extensión dilatada entre Polonia y Silesia. Eran en esta nación lijia los arios, los prepotentes en número y barbarie. "los arios" descríbelos así el brío de Tácito, "se empeñan con todo ahínco en extremar el pavor de su nativa fiereza. Negros sus escudos, tiznados sus cuerpos, se abalanzan a la refriega en la lobreguez de la noche. Embiste su hueste cercada como de una sombra funeral, ni suelen tropezar con enemigo capaz de contrarrestar aquel extraño e infernal aspecto, pues de todos nuestros sentidos, el de la vista es el primero que se postra en las batallas".

Pero añade Gibbon que el pueblo lijio fue exterminado por Roma en tiempos del emperador Probo y ya nunca se volvió a hablar de él.