Emilia Kledzik on the Appropriation of Papusza’s Voice and the Stereotyping of Romani Poetry

In this episode of Studio Central and Eastern Europe, we dive into the powerful intersection of literature, myth, and minority narratives in postwar Poland. Our guest is Prof. Emilia Kledzik, a literary scholar from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, whose groundbreaking book The Poet’s Perspective: Jerzy Ficowski’s Romani Studies explores the roots of Romani representation in Polish literature and policy.

In conversation with Prof. Kris van Heuckelom (KU Leuven), Kledzik revisits the life and legacy of Papusza—Europe’s most renowned Romani poet—and the role played by Ficowski, her mentor and interpreter, in shaping the discourse around Romani identity. Together, they unpack how Ficowski’s work both illuminated and, at times, mythologized Roma culture, offering insight into how literature became a battleground for cultural memory and state ideology.