The outstanding translator, writer and mediator between East and West, Henryk Bereska, would have been 100 years old on Sunday, 17 May 2026. On this day, the Karl Dedecius Foundation at the European University Viadrina and the Karl Dedecius Archive at the Collegium Polonicum are honouring the life and work of one of the most important mediators in German-Polish cultural and literary dialogue with the anniversary celebration "In the Flow of Words".
The all-day programme includes a poetry boat on the Oder, theatre, readings, an exhibition and space for exchange with Bereska's companions. The extensive programme has been created in cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the University of Wrocław and numerous partners from the Oder-Spree region.
The day offers artistic, literary and academic contributions and makes the complexity of Henryk Bereska's work tangible.
10 am |"How to defeat dragons and then marry a princess ..."
Figure theatre based on the Polish fairy tale "Three Needles, Three Ears of Corn and the Magic Flute" by Stanisław Wasylewski in the translation by Henryk Bereska; Theatre of Laughter, Ziegelstraße 31
11 am and 6 pm | "Poetry Steamboat", literary boat trips
on the Oder with the authors Krzysztof Fedorowicz, Björn Kern and Maria Sidorska-Ryczkowska (11 am) and Artur Daniel Liskowacki, Uwe Rada and Carmen Winter (6 pm). The two-hour readings will be moderated by Marta Bąkiewicz and Wolfgang de Bruyn.
Departure from the landing stage at Frankfurter Holzmarkt.
Registration and information at: 03366 35-2727 and info@literaturrat.de
13.30 pm to 5.30 pm | Birthday party at the Collegium Polonicum
- Opening of the exhibition "Without applause ... Translating as a silent art. Henryk Bereska 1926–2005"
- "When I go out at night ..." Scenic reading with puppet of texts by Henryk Bereska with Torsten Gesser and Arkadiusz Porada (Theatre of Laughter)
- Short lecture by prof. Ines Geipel on the edition project of the "Kolberger Hefte" and reading from it
- Reception in the inner courtyard with opportunity for exchange with companions of Henryk Bereska
Further information: www.europa-uni.de/kds-bereska100
About Henryk Bereska: Henryk Bereska (1926-2005) was a translator, writer and "silent mediator in the dialogue between East and West" (Norbert Honsza). Born in Roździeń near Katowice and raised in a multilingual environment, he had the ideal prerequisites for his later work as a literary bridge-builder. After studying Slavic and German studies in East Berlin, he initially worked at Aufbau-Verlag before becoming a freelance translator and author in 1955. Bereska translated more than 100 works of Polish literature into German and made authors such as Zbigniew Herbert, Urszula Kozioł, Tadeusz Różewicz and Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz known in German-speaking countries. In addition to his translation work, he also published his own poems, aphorisms and essays. He has received numerous awards for his life's work, including the prestigious Transatlantic Prize (2005).His literary estate has been kept in the Karl Dedecius Archive at the Collegium Polonicum in Słubice since 2004 and forms an important basis for research into German-Polish cultural exchange.
All events at the Collegium Polonicum and the readings on the poetry boat will be held in German and Polish. Admission is free.
The series of events is funded by the Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation as part of the project "Henryk Bereska - Memory and Reception in German-Polish Cultural Dialogue" as well as by the Interreg programme and the Euroregion Pro Europa Viadrina.