Janusz Korczak: A Bibliography. English Sources 1939-2012

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About the book

The first extensive Janusz Korczak English bibliography including Writings by Janusz Korczak, Writings about Janusz Korczak supplemented by Appendix. By Galina Sanaeva and Olga Medvedeva-Nathoo. Published by the Janusz Korczak Association of Canada.

Reviews

“An Essential Addition to the Bookshelf of Every True Korczakian”
Reviewed by James Anglin

For an English­ speaking newcomer to the works and life of Janusz Korczak, it can be frustrating trying to locate materials published in English. My own discovery of Korczak’s story, thanks to Dr. Larry Brendtro (whose writings on Korczak are included in this reference), led me to Betty Jean Lifton’s The King of Children: A Biography of Janusz Korczak, and to a few articles published in North American journals. But then my reading ground to a halt until last year when a friend emailed me about a copy of the Selected Works of Janusz Korczak, edited by Martin Wolins, listed on ebay. To my knowledge, the Wolin’s text is the most comprehensive English translation of Korczak’s writing produced to date. However, there were only about 1,000 copies printed in 1967, and they are both hard to find and quite expensive to purchase when available. It is likely that many of the original copies reside in libraries or are in treasured private collections of Korczakians.

The publication of this new Bibliography by the Janusz Korczak Association of Canada is an important resource and one that deserves wide circulation. I must admit that when I first read through it, I was both excited and a bit over­ whelmed by the range and variety of English sources that actually exist.

The editors are careful to give much of the credit for amassing these references to two collectors of Korczak’s work – Dr. Edyta Januszewska (Po­ land) and Daniel Berek (USA) – who are to be commended for making their references avail­ able for this impressive and very useful source­ book. At the same time, the editorial work done by Dr. Olga Medvedeva-­Nathoo and Dr. Galina Sanaeva who have taken the raw material and organized it in exemplary fashion with a meticulousness that gives evidence to the fact that they were indeed “putting [their] heart into it”. (p. 9)

The presentation of the references is well organized, being divided into two major sections: I. Writings by Janusz Korczak and II. Writings about Janusz Korczak. The latter section is further divided into six sub­sections: 1. Books and book chapters (1943 – 2012); 2. Conference proceedings, reports and lectures (1979 – 2012), 3. Scholarly publications and reference books (1964 – 2010); 4. Articles in periodicals, magazines and newspapers (1942 – 2011); 5. Books featuring Janusz Korczak (1957 – 2012), and 6. Online resources.

Olga Medvedeva­-Nathoo has written an in­ formative Introduction to the Bibliography which will be especially helpful to newcomers to Korczak, and which sets the tone for the text and offers some contextual background to the creation of this work of love. Anyone familiar with Olga’s work (for example, a book May Their Lot Be Lighter… Of Janusz Korczak and His Pupil) will appreciate the usual fine touches, such as the illustrations taken from book covers and impeccable editing throughout this slim and finely crafted production.

In brief, this is an essential addition to the book­ shelf of every true Korczakian, and a resource that will surely be referred to on a regular basis and at important moments of need.


By Daniel L. Berek on January 3, 2017 - Published on Amazon.com

There is an old piece of Hassidic wisdom that at any given time there are 36 tzadikkim, supremely good people. Their lives and deeds, it is believed, are such extraordinary examples of kindness and compassion that they hold the ability to redeem the world. Many who adhere to this philosophy unhesitatingly count Janusz Korczak (1879-1942) among these excellent people. Korczak devoted his whole life to children, as a physician, a writer of timeless books for and about children and, most recently, the founder and director of an orphanage in his native Warsaw, Poland, both in the city proper and, during the Nazi occupation, in that city’s infamous Ghetto. His final act of devotion was to accompany his wards to the death camp of Treblinka when the Nazis liquidated the Warsaw Ghetto, offering these children comfort in their last, terrifying moments.

That last episode, for better or worse, is often what leads people to ask, “Janusz who?” and find out more about this extraordinary man. Over the years, much has been written about Korczak, supplementing the many writings by the Old Doctor himself. However, many of these can be very hard to find. Janusz Korczak: A Bibliography – English Sources 1939-2012 addresses this challenge. This piece of research is the first major effort to bring together in a single volume material in English, both original and in translation (primarily from the Polish). This book is divided in two sections: “Writings by Janusz Korczak” and “Writings about Janusz Korczak.”

The first section, “Writings by Janusz Korczak,” comprises English-language translations of Korczak’s works for children and about children, especially on the rights of the child. The first part consists of books; the second part assembles translations published in periodicals. Over recent years, there has been somewhat of a renaissance in Korczak’s books for children, most of which are included here. For sources available online, the website URLs are included.

The second section, “Writings about Janusz Korczak,” comprises six sections, as follows:

  • Documentary biographies, along with testimonies, diaries (mostly from the Holocaust), and memoirs that mention Korczak
    • Conference proceedings, reports, and lectures on Korczak’s legacy
    • Scholarly publications and reference books
    • Articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers
    • Books of prose, poetry, and drama in which Korczak is the primary character or plays an important secondary role (Plays that have been performed but not published are not included in the biography.)
    • Accurate and reliable online source material.

Finally, three appendices are offered. The first contains published exhibits and catalogues. The second is a filmography; included are two films about Irena Sendler, with whom Janusz Korczak was intimately connected. The third provides websites of Janusz Korczak associations around the world. Many other websites on Korczak and his times exist, but these are not within the scope of this work.

Janusz Korczak: A Bibliography is noteworthy in that it is a piece of international teamwork. Dr. Edyta Januszewska is a professor from Poland; at the Warsaw Maria Grzetorzewska Academy of Special Education, where she teaches, she has participated in the many international conferences dedicated to Korczak and has worked with her network of colleagues in her research. Daniel Berek, on the other hand, is a former teacher in the United States. He holds a license in Special Education in New Jersey and works for a social service agency, nurturing children and young adults with all disabilities. Unlike Dr. Januszewska, he compiled his collection of Korczak resources solo, with no outside support. What both Dr. Januszewska and Mr. Berek share, however, is Korczak’s passion for the rights and dignity of the child, as do the editors, Olga Medvedeva-Nathoo and Galina Sanaeva, both of the Janusz Korczak Association of Canada, who assembled this valuable reference, a major undertaking. That these four individuals live and work so far apart is a testament to the power of Korczak’s ideas and the continued relevance to children throughout the world today. They share their love for Janusz Korczak in the hope that their efforts will inspire others to learn about Korczak and spread his timeless message.