Kurtyna podniesiona

Professor Zdzisław Krasnodębski is one of the most respected and well-known intellectuals of Central Europe since the fall of communism. He combines theory with practice in his reflections on society and politics. On the one hand, he is a sociologist and philosopher, having lectured for many years at universities in Poland, Germany and the US; on the other, he is a politician, a member of the European Parliament. He contributes to the most important debates of our times, both as a thinker and an active politician.

His most recent collection of essays and sketches, The Curtain Raised, discusses mutual misunderstandings by Eastern and Western Europe. For several decades, the two parts of our continent were divided by the Iron Curtain, which prevented participation in the same cultural interchange, hampering mutual acquaintance and perpetuating damaging stereotypes. The economic gulf amplified the inferiority complex in the East, and strengthened the sense of civilisational superiority in the West.

Although three decades have passed since the fall of communism – and European integration continues to advance – our continent is still divided by an invisible wall, which runs mainly through metapolitical, axiological, moral and spiritual spheres, and which to a great extent follows the former course of the Iron Curtain. This phenomenon has unfortunately been poorly evaluated and written about by contemporary commentators. In this respect, Zdzisław Krasnodębski’s book is pioneering. The author endeavours in his writing to describe that fracture in contemporary Europe, posing questions about the identity of our continent, national sovereignty, and the relationship between democracy and liberalism. It’s an important book for anyone who wants to understand the reality surrounding us.