Literary Ambitions: The Polish-Language Press in Australia

Abstract

This chapter highlights the abundance of cultural and literary forms and themes featured in Polish-language periodicals published in Australia. With over 150 individual titles published before the 1990s and contributions from a relatively high number of sophisticated writers, the Polish-language press is a unique Australian LOTE (Languages Other Than English) phenomenon. The chapter argues that this profusion of literary work indicates that these periodicals served predominantly as a means of self-expression, reinforcing the cultural identities and sense of belonging of a dislocated diasporic intelligentsia, and that this function might have been more important to some editors than dealing with issues of interest to the broader migrant community. These periodicals shed light on hidden histories of migration to Australia, and hence refine perspectives on Australia's migrant communities, past and present.