The weekly Dookoła świata [Around the World] (1954–1976) was intended to be a kind of a travel magazine and “a window to the external world” for Polish teens in Polish People’s Republic times – see here [entry “Z antycznego świata”, Dookoła Świata 13 (1957)]. 

The article is illustrated with a large photograph of the Augustus of Prima Porta statue from Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums and small images of the Capitoline she-wolf between particular paragraphs.

Parandowski’s text starts with a parallel between Rome and an oak tree (which, from a small acorn, becomes a massive and majestic tree) and describes Rome’s origins against the historical background. Next, the author briefly writes about the Etruscans and what Rome owed them. The following paragraphs are focused on Roman citizens, their role models, social position and potential hardships, depending on who they were and where they lived. Then the reader can learn about how extended the Roman territory was in its prosperous imperial era and how safe people from various ethnic groups could be within the Roman borders due to peace and the network of roads facilitating quick communication, tourism and trade, further simplified by a unified coinage system. The fact that the conquered peoples were allowed to keep their cultural and linguistic traditions is described, as well as the state governance and economic system with its pros and cons, including the institution of slavery. The last paragraph describes changes in Rome's appearance, organization and entertainment potential since the Augustan age.

The article breaks the routine contents of the magazine, mainly focused on travel and interesting places and cultures outside of Poland. But, on the other hand, it can be treated as correspondence from Rome before it became the popular destination of the 20^th century.

The short text is written like a textbook. Parandowski, well-known today for increasing awareness of classical Antiquity, highlights the most important aspects of Roman civilization, condensing them in one short press article. Such texts can be viewed as an attempt to supplement insufficient information about the Antiquity young people received at school or to reinforce and consolidate the image provided in school curricula.

What draws attention is the language, which is clear and picturesque but not free from terms of judgment and opinion. As an example of the Roman respect for conquered peoples, Parandowski compares Romans to Germans and Russians in partitioned Poland and to their “barbaric suppression/extermination of the native language and culture [Polish]” (p. 15).

The author explicitly states his opinion about the superiority of the imperial era of general prosperity in comparison to the republic. Still, he is aware that the empire was not perfect. As the main disadvantage of the imperial system, he mentions the privileging of the Roman citizen over the rest of the population and slavery, although he considers the empire still more benevolent and progressive than the republic. 

The author’s attitude towards social issues seems curious. Parandowski writes about changes taking place in the 2^nd century BC when the middle class disappeared, leaving “two hostile forces: the predatory wealth and the urban mob” (p. 15) unequal in their potential as the mob was concentrated in the area of the capital and “the greed of the ruling class affected the remotest peoples and lands” (p. 15) subjecting them to constant oppression. The vaguely Marxist terms used by Parandowski seem unsuitable to describe Roman Antiquity, but the reality of Poland in the 1950s, with its ever-present Communist censorship, might have required this sort of subterfuge.

Selected bibliography concerning Jan Parandowski’s work and life see here.

Frycie, Stanisław, “Czasopisma dla dzieci i młodzieży okresu powojennego (1945–1970)”, Kwartalnik Historii Prasy Polskiej 3 (1977), 49–73.

Harjan, George, “Jan Parandowski: A Contemporary Polish Humanist”, Books Abroad 34. 3 (1960): 223–226.

Waksmund, Ryszard, “Periodyki dziecięce w systemie prasy. Propozycje metodologiczne do badań nad czasopiśmiennictwem dla dzieci i młodzieży”, Litteraria vol. 14 (1982), 149–163.