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[POLISH FEMINISM] Almanach Kalendarz. Związku Pracy Obywatelskiej Kobiet [i.e. Almanach. Calendar of Women’s Civil Work Association]

Item #2744

Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Wydziału Prasowego, 1932. 252, [10] pp.: ca. 27 black-and-white ill. 22,9x15,4 cm. In original publisher’s illustrated wrappers by Tadeusz Gronowski. Wrappers worn, paper label with a private library inventory glued to the spine, rust marks on the spine, occasional soiling, but otherwise a very good copy.

Scarce. First and only issue. Edited by the Polish writer Herminja Naglerowa (1890-1957). After the Nazi invasion of Poland, Herminja moved to Lviv, where she was arrested by the NKVD in 1940 and sent to a Karlag labor camp in Kazakhstan. Released under the Sikorski–Mayski Agreement, she left the Soviet Union in 1942. After the war, she settled in Great Britain, where she served as vice president of the Union of Polish Writers Abroad.
An extremely rare only issue of an almanac published by the Women’s Civil Work Union, one of Poland’s foremost feminist organizations, in Warsaw in 1932.
The women’s movement in Poland developed alongside the country’s political struggles, emerging in the late 19th century, when demands for women’s rights were closely tied to the fight for national independence. Polish women gained full suffrage in 1918, placing the new state among the early adopters of political equality in Europe. During the interwar period, Polish women became increasingly active in public life, bolstered by the foundation of the Women Citizens’ Work Association (Związek Pracy Obywatelskiej Kobiet, ZPOK; 1928–1939) in 1928. The organization was led by its founder and president Zofia Moraczewska and included such prominent activists as Maria Bartlowa, Zofia Daszyńska-Golińska, and Bronisława Dłuska. At its peak, ZPOK boasted nearly 50,000 members and operated a vast nationwide network of welfare and educational institutions. As ZPOK became increasingly tethered to the ruling bloc, Moraczewska resigned in 1933. This friction led to a 1935 split and the formation of the Women’s Social Self-Help Association. Despite the fracture, the original union continued under Hanna Pohoska’s leadership until 1939.
The almanac’s cover features a striking Art Deco illustration by Tadeusz Gronowski, a leading graphic designer and pioneer of the modern Polish poster. The design shows two stylized female figures holding a shield inscribed with the initials “ZPOK.” The interior vignettes were created by Halina Siemieńska, a Polish graphic artist and graduate of the Juliusz Słowacki State Gymnasium in Warsaw. During the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, she served with the Home Army’s “Leśnik” unit as a deputy production manager and weapons storekeeper, and died after being accidentally shot by a fellow soldier in August 1944.
In its opening editorial, the almanac sets out its goal as to capture the creative energy, organizational strength, and civic engagement of Polish women. The main section of the edition brings together articles by some of the most prominent women of the early-20th century Poland, including Zofia Moraczewska (politician and women’s rights activist), Dr. Zofia Daszyńska-Golińska (economist and senator of the second term in the Second Polish Republic), Hanna Pohoska (political activist), Maria Wittekówna (a Polish military leader who served in the Polish Army), Teodora Męczkowska (suffragette and educator), Wanda Dzierzbicka (psychologist), and Dr. Helena Waniczek (historian). During WWII, most of the featured women became deeply engaged in clandestine resistance activities, while many suffered the loss of close family members or were forced into permanent emigration from Warsaw following the city’s destruction.
The articles cover such topics as women’s equality and civilization, preparation for national defense, secondary and teacher education, maternal care, childcare institutions, and the problem of alcoholism. Especially interesting is Halina Siemieńska’s article on the fight against human trafficking, in which she exposes the deceptive methods of international networks and outlines Poland’s countermeasures, including the establishment of a Women’s Police and protective emigration laws. The almanac also highlights women’s achievements in the arts and media, complemented by literary works from authors such as Maria Dąbrowska and Maria Pawlikowska, and concludes with practical discussions of modern life, including housing, domestic economy, sports, and fashion. Importantly, the almanac includes a comprehensive directory of women’s organizations in Poland, complete with brief descriptions of each. Among the featured organizations are: Catholic Society for the Care of Girls, Girls Scouting, Club of Progressive Women, etc.
The almanac is illustrated with approximately 27 black-and-white photographs that document the active roles of Polish women in society. Among these are scenes of President Ignacy Mościcki inspecting a Women’s Military Training camp in Silesia, a group portrait of the ZPOK leadership (featuring the writer Zofia Nałkowska), a female laborer operating industrial machinery, and social welfare initiatives such as a ZPOK preschool and an infant nursery at the State Tobacco Products Factory in Warsaw. The volume also prominently features two formal portraits: First Lady Michalina Mościcka, the Union’s honorary patron, and Zofja Moraczewska, the President of the Women’s Civil Work Union.
At the end, the almanac features a calendar for 1932, the structure of the Polish government, and various ads.
Overall, an extremely rare testament to the early feminist movement in Poland.

No copies found in Worldcat.