Press Release

"Rzymska Komedia" (Roman Comedy) - is a unique journal - guidebook through the Eternal City by Jarosław Mikolajewski received a Literary Award of the Capital City of Warsaw 2012 in the category Prose. The author received the prize during the ceremony on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012.

In "Rzymska Komedia" (Roman Comedy) the key to learn the secrets of the Eternal City is the masterpiece of the world literature "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. The masterpiece sets the rhythm of wandering and determines the structure of the book consisting, similarly as the "Divine Comedy" of 100 songs in three parts: "Hell", "Purgatory" and "Paradise". The book is embellished with the copies of beautiful wood engravings illustrating XVI century edition of the "Divine Comedy".

The prize winner Jarosław Mikołajewski - born in 1960 in Warsaw is a poet, Italian translator, essayist and the author of books for children. He is also a journalist and current director of the Italian Institute in Rome. Lately, he published books for children: "Kreska i Kropka", "Kiedys kiedys." and translation of "Pinokio". For the adult readers he published: a selection of poems" Zbite szklanki" awarded last year with the prize of the Capital City of Warsaw.

The award of the Capital City of Warsaw is a continuation of a distinction of the same title from the years 1926 - 38. The pre-war award winners include, inter alia, Leopold Staff, Tadeusz Boy-Zelenski and Maria Kuncewiczowa. After the war, there were similar awards in Warsaw but there was no persistence in the title and in the rules of granting the award. From among the award winners it is worth to mention, inter alia, Miron Białoszewski, Ernest Bryll, Juliusz Wiktor Gomulicki or Jerzy Waldorff.

In 2012, apart from Jaroslaw Mikolajewski, the award was handed also to Jacek Lukasiewicz, Mlgorzata Strzalkowska, Ewa Morycinska - Dzius and professor Janusz Tazbir.

The book "Rzymska Komedia" (Roman Comedy) is available in the bookshops since November 3, 2011 and was published by Agora.