Our Mythical Childhood...
The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges
Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak
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Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw
email: kamar@al.uw.edu.pl
Katarzyna Marciniak is a Classicist (MA 2000) and an Italian Philologist (MA 2003), a graduate from the Interdisciplinary Individual Studies in the Humanities (MISH 2003) at the University of Warsaw. Her PhD dissertation, defended summa cum laude at the Faculty for Polish Studies, University of Warsaw, in 2004, was supervised by Prof. Jerzy Axer and it regarded Cicero’s translations from Greek into Latin as a tool of ideological manipulation. She achieved the Habilitation degree in 2009 and the Full Professor academic title in 2019. She accomplished several research stays in Austria, Germany, and Italy. In 2012 she was elected a member of the Polish Young Academy at the Polish Academy of Sciences (1st term). For two terms she was the Ambassador Scientist of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Poland. At the Faculty of “Artes Liberales” UW she is the Director of the Centre for Studies on the Classical Tradition (OBTA) and the Head of the Cluster: The Past for the Present – the International Research and Educational Progamme. She was also the Vice-Dean for International Cooperation (terms 2016–2020 and 2020–2024).
Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak established the international programme Our Mythical Childhood, bringing together scholars from various continents in the aim of studying the reception of Classical Antiquity in children’s and YA culture. For this programme, she obtained the Loeb Classical Library Grant, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Alumni Award for Innovative Networking Initiatives, and – for the first time in the Humanities in Poland – the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant and the ERC Proof of Concept Grant. She is laureate of the Prime Minister of Poland Prize for her PhD-dissertation, the Research Prize of the weekly “Polityka”, the Medal of the 200th Anniversary of the University of Warsaw, the Italian Government Grants, the Humboldt Foundation Research and Return Fellowships, and the Foundation for Polish Science’s and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education’s scholarships for excellent young scholars, as well as a Lanckorońscy Foundation grant. The Chapter at the Polish Language Council at the Polish Academy of Sciences granted her the Title of the Young Ambassador of Polish Language.
Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak is involved in the popularization of Classical Antiquity. She introduces children into the realm of myths as the author of the trilogy Moja pierwsza mitologia (My First Mythology; two volumes published so far, 2nd ed. PWN, Warsaw 2021; third volume in preparation). For older readers, she wrote Mitologia grecka i rzymska. Spotkania ponad czasem (Greek and Roman Mythology. Meetings beyond the Time; 2nd expanded ed. PWN, Warsaw 2018), which was honoured with the Klio Award 2nd Class for the Best Historical Book of the Year (1st. ed., 2010). She translated into Polish the Latin monologues of Octavia in Pseudo-Seneca’s tragedy about Nero’s wife (ed. Małgorzata Borowska) and the novel for youth The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane by the American-Canadian author Polly Horvath. She also writes poems for children, e.g., about the cats that surf on the Internet and the mosquitoes that dance the tango. Her poetic collection Alfabet wśród zwierząt (Alphabet among the Animals) received the Nomination in the competition “Book of the Year 2016” of the Polish Section of the IBBY.
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Main projects on the reception of Classical Antiquity:
2023–2025 The Modern Argonauts: A Multicultural Educational Programme Preparing Young People for Contemporary Challenges through an Innovative Use of Classical Mythology (ERC Proof of Concept Grant),
2016–2022 Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges (ERC Consolidator Grant),
2014–2017 Chasing Mythical Beasts... The Reception of Creatures from Graeco-Roman Mythology in Children & Young Adult Culture as a Transformation Marker (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Alumni Award for Innovative Networking Initiatives),
2012–2013 Our Mythical Childhood... The Classics and Children’s Literature between East and West (Loeb Classical Library Foundation Grant).
Authored books:
Moja pierwsza mitologia. Tom II: Przemiany. Bestiariusz. W Królestwie Hadesa [My First Mythology. Volume Two: Metamorphoses. Bestiary. In Hades’ Kingdom], PWN, Warszawa 2021 (new ed.), 234 pp.
Moja pierwsza mitologia. Tom I: Dzieciństwo bogów i ludzi. Przygody herosów [My First Mythology. Volume One: Childhood of Gods and Humans. The Adventures of the Heroes], PWN, Warszawa 2020 (new ed.), 232 pp.
Mitologia grecka i rzymska. Spotkania ponad czasem [Greek and Roman Mythology. Meetings beyond the Time], Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2018, 632 pp. (a new expanded edition of the book distinguished with the Klio Award).
Moja pierwsza mitologia. Księga druga [My First Mythology. Book Two], Wydawnictwo Nasza Księgarnia, Warszawa 2016 (audiobook Heraclon 2017), 280 pp.
Moja pierwsza mitologia. Księga pierwsza [My First Mythology. Book One], Wydawnictwo Nasza Księgarnia, Warszawa 2013 (2nd ed. 2016, audiobook Heraclon 2017), 280 pp.
Mitologia grecka i rzymska. Bohaterowie ponad czasem [Greek and Roman Mythology. Timeless Heroes], Wydawnictwo Szkolne PWN, Warszawa–Bielsko-Biała 2010, 480 pp. (Klio Book Award 2nd class).
Cicero vortit barbare. Przekłady mówcy jako narzędzie manipulacji ideologicznej [Cicero vortit barbare. The Translations of the Orator as a Tool of Ideological Manipulation], słowo / obraz terytoria, Gdańsk 2008, 256 pp.
Pro Cicerone poeta. Poezja Marka Tulliusza Cycerona na przestrzeni stuleci [Pro Cicerone poeta. Marcus Tullius Cicero’s Poetry throughout the Ages], Instytut Badań Interdyscyplinarnych Artes Liberales, Warszawa 2008, 428 pp.
Audiobooks:
Moja pierwsza mitologia. Księga II, Heraclon, Warszawa 2017, czyta Maciej Więckowski
Moja pierwsza mitologia. Księga I, Heraclon, Warszawa 2017, czyta Maciej Więckowski
Edited books:
Katarzyna Marciniak (ed.), Our Mythical Hope: The Ancient Myths as Medicine for Hardships of Life in Children's and Young Adults' Culture", in the series “Our Mythical Childhood”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw Press, 2021, 836 pp.
Open Access: https://www.wuw.pl/product-eng-16830-Our-Mythical-Hope-The-Ancient-Myths-as-Medicine-for-the-Hardships-of-Life-in-Childrens-and-Young-Adults-Culture-PDF.html
Katarzyna Marciniak (ed.), Chasing Mythical Beasts: The Reception of Ancient Monsters in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture, in the series: “Studien zur europäischen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur / Studies in European Children’s and Young Adult Literature”, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 2020, 623 pp. (Table of Contents)
Open Access: https://www.winter-verlag.de/en/detail/978-3-8253-7874-5/Marciniak_Ed_Chasing_Mythical_Beasts_PDF/
Katarzyna Marciniak (ed.), Our Mythical Childhood... The Classics and Literature for Children and Young Adults, in the series: “Metaforms. Studies in the Reception of Classical Antiquity”, Brill, Leiden–Boston 2016, 526 pp. (reviews: http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2017/2017-06-47.html; http://eos.uni.wroc.pl/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/164_cens.lib_.całe_tekstyEOS-2017-2d.pdf).
Open Access: https://brill.com/view/title/32883
Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska (edd.), De amicitia. Transdisciplinary Studies in Friendship, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 2016, 438 pp. (online: www.al.uw.edu.pl/amicitia).
Katarzyna Marciniak (ed.), Antiquity and We, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 2013, 311 pp. (online: www.al.uw.edu.pl/antiquity_and_we); Polish version: Antyk i my, Wydział “Artes Liberales” UW, Warszawa 2013, 294 pp. (online: www.al.uw.edu.pl/antyk_i_my).
Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (edd.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity. A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 2013, 444 pp. (online: www.al.uw.edu.pl/omc_catalogue).
Katarzyna Marciniak (ed.), Birthday Beasts’ Book. Where Human Roads Cross Animal Trails. Cultural Studies in Honour of Jerzy Axer, Institut for Interdisciplinary Studies “Artes Liberales” – Wydawnictwo “Wilczyska”, Warsaw 2011, 512 pp. (editorial team: Małgorzata Borowska, Jan Kieniewicz, Przemysław Kordos, Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, website: www.bbb.al.uw.edu.pl, review: http://annali.unife.it/lettere/article/view/611/534).
Varia:
Katarzyna Marciniak in the interview by Agnieszka Krzemińska on Classical Antiquity, education, and the projects carried out within the ERC Grants, weekly “Polityka” 14, 2024.
Katarzyna Marciniak in the research podcast Pulsar of the weekly “Polityka”, host: Agnieszka Krzemińska.
Mareike Ilsemann (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation) on Katarzyna Marciniak’s research in Humboldt Kosmos 111, 2020, p. 10.
