''Michnikowszczyzna. Zapis choroby'' is a book written by a Polish
right-wing
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
journalist
Rafał Ziemkiewicz in 2006. The title might be translated as ''Michnikism. Medical History''. It presents a negative analytical and critical view of
Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik (; born 17 October 1946) is a Polish historian, essayist, former Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1989), dissident, Intellectual#Public intellectual, public intellectual, as well as co-founder and editor-in-chief of the P ...
, the founder and editor-in-chief of ''
Gazeta Wyborcza
(; ''The Electoral Gazette'' in English) is a Polish nationwide daily newspaper based in Warsaw, Poland. It was launched on 8 May 1989 on the basis of the Polish Round Table Agreement and as a press organ of the Solidarity (Polish trade union), t ...
'' (second biggest daily newspaper in Poland), and Michnik's role within Polish society and in the transformation in Poland after 1989.
In the view of the author, the
neologism
In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered ...
"Michnikowszczyzna" refers to both Michnik himself, his apprentices and the views presented by ''
Gazeta Wyborcza
(; ''The Electoral Gazette'' in English) is a Polish nationwide daily newspaper based in Warsaw, Poland. It was launched on 8 May 1989 on the basis of the Polish Round Table Agreement and as a press organ of the Solidarity (Polish trade union), t ...
,'' The term can be loosely translated as 'Michnik
itis
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is an American partnership of federal agencies designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagenc ...
'. Ziemkiewicz describes in detail their—in his opinion—excessive and negative impact on the shape of politics in Poland, especially during the 90s. The book and author's thesis were criticized by some authors, especially those associated with Gazeta Wyborcza.
Released in December 2006, it ranked 6th on the January 2007 list of Polish bestselling books. The book has received numerous reviews in Poland, including in
Wprost and one in Michnik's own Gazeta Wyborcza by
Ewa Milewicz.
See also
*
Post-communism
Post-communism is the period of political and economic transformation or transition in post-Soviet states and other formerly communist states located in Central-Eastern Europe and parts of Latin America, Africa, and Asia, in which new governments ...
References
External links
Interview with Ziemkiewicz about this book
{{Rafał Ziemkiewicz
2006 non-fiction books
Political books
Polish non-fiction books
Works by Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz