Nortom
Encyclopedia
NORTOM is a privately owned Polish
publishing house, founded in 1992 in Wrocław, specializing in books on Polish history with special focus on the Kresy
region of the Second Polish Republic
, the Polish literature
and political thought, including on post-communism economic crises and nationalism
. Nortom is listed by the Roth Institute in Tel Aviv among the four Polish publishers known for their "antisemitic, Holocaust distorting or Holocaust denying books." It also publishes religious books for children and youth. Nortom was founded by Norbert Tomczyk, re-elected as member of the Board of Control of the Polish Chamber of Book Publishers in December 2000, a leader of the marginal Polish political party Stronnictwo Narodowe ("National Party") whose ideology is based on that of the pre-war National Democratic movement, and which received 0.16% of the Polish vote in the presidential elections.
Authors featured by Nortom include: antisemitic Polish politician, diplomat and statesman Roman Dmowski
(1864-1939), who was a chief architect of the new Polish state
, with a series on the return of Polish sovereignty; Jan Ludwik Popławski
(1854-1908) the founder of The National-Democratic Party (1897)
; right-wing politician Janusz Dobrosz
, member of the Polish Parliament
; Dmowski's political ally Jędrzej Giertych
, Polish war correspondent and Franco ally during the Spanish Civil War
, expelled from the emigration party Stronnictwo Narodowe because of his extremism and antisemitism ; Zbigniew Żmigrodzki; Adam Doboszyński (1904-1949); Roman Rybarski (1887-1942), one of the best economists in prewar Poland, (another ally of Roman Dmowski); Czesław Czaplicki; Andrzej Sołdrowski, political prisoner under Stalinism; Lubomir Czupkiewicz; Piotr Kosobudzki; Maciej Giertych
, a member of the European Parliament who created a scandal with his antisemitic writing ; Stanisław Jastrzębski, veteran Polish underground fighter during World War II; controversial politologist Edward Prus
; Stanisław Żurek; Norbert Tomczyk; Stanisław Sosenkiewicz; Henryk Komański; Szczepan Siekierka
; Witalij Masłowśkyj; Aleksander Korman; Mieczysław Dobrzański; Feliks Koneczny
, a Polish historian and social philosopher who claimed that Jews were conspiring to destroy Latin-Christian civilization and that Nazism
was example of Jewish civilization typeJoanna Beata Michlic, Poland's Threatening Other: The Image of the Jew from 1880 to the Present, U of Nebraska Press, 2006, ISBN 0803232403Google Print, p.179; Michał Poradowski; Stanisław Bełza; Izabella Wolikowska and others.
by the Polish Ministry of Culture representative Andrzej Nowakowski overlooking the Polish exposition. Nortom was accused of selling anti-German
, Anti-Ukrainian
and antisemitic books, especially the following titles: Być czy nie być by Stanisław Bełza, Polska i Niemcy by Jędrzej Giertych
and I tak nie przemogą. Antykościół, antypolonizm, masoneria by his son Maciej Giertych
. As a result of the above request, the president of the Polish delegation Andrzej Chrzanowski from Polska Izba Książki decided to penalize Nortom by removing it from the 2000 book fair altogether.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
publishing house, founded in 1992 in Wrocław, specializing in books on Polish history with special focus on the Kresy
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
region of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, the Polish literature
Polish literature
Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages, used in Poland over the centuries, have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Yiddish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German and...
and political thought, including on post-communism economic crises and nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
. Nortom is listed by the Roth Institute in Tel Aviv among the four Polish publishers known for their "antisemitic, Holocaust distorting or Holocaust denying books." It also publishes religious books for children and youth. Nortom was founded by Norbert Tomczyk, re-elected as member of the Board of Control of the Polish Chamber of Book Publishers in December 2000, a leader of the marginal Polish political party Stronnictwo Narodowe ("National Party") whose ideology is based on that of the pre-war National Democratic movement, and which received 0.16% of the Polish vote in the presidential elections.
Authors featured by Nortom include: antisemitic Polish politician, diplomat and statesman Roman Dmowski
Roman Dmowski
Roman Stanisław Dmowski was a Polish politician, statesman, and chief ideologue and co-founder of the National Democracy political movement, which was one of the strongest political camps of interwar Poland.Though a controversial personality throughout his life, Dmowski was instrumental in...
(1864-1939), who was a chief architect of the new Polish state
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, with a series on the return of Polish sovereignty; Jan Ludwik Popławski
Jan Ludwik Popławski
Jan Ludwik Popławski was a Polish publicist, politician and one of the first chief activists and ideologues of the right-wing National Democracy political camp....
(1854-1908) the founder of The National-Democratic Party (1897)
National-Democratic Party (Poland)
Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne was a Polish political party founded in 1897 by Roman Dmowski to represent the National Democracy movement at elections. It was a political opponent of the Polish Socialist Party. In 1919, when Poland regained independence, the National-Democratic Party was...
; right-wing politician Janusz Dobrosz
Janusz Dobrosz
Janusz Dobrosz is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 14655 votes in 3 Wrocław district, candidating from Liga Polskich Rodzin list....
, member of the Polish Parliament
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
; Dmowski's political ally Jędrzej Giertych
Jedrzej Giertych
Jędrzej Giertych was a Polish right-wing politician, journalist and writer, son of Franciszek Giertych, father of Maciej Giertych and grandfather of Roman Giertych...
, Polish war correspondent and Franco ally during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, expelled from the emigration party Stronnictwo Narodowe because of his extremism and antisemitism ; Zbigniew Żmigrodzki; Adam Doboszyński (1904-1949); Roman Rybarski (1887-1942), one of the best economists in prewar Poland, (another ally of Roman Dmowski); Czesław Czaplicki; Andrzej Sołdrowski, political prisoner under Stalinism; Lubomir Czupkiewicz; Piotr Kosobudzki; Maciej Giertych
Maciej Giertych
Maciej Marian Giertych is a Polish dendrologist and social conservative politician of the League of Polish Families . He favours state intervention in the economy. He was a member of the Sejm and a Polish member of the European Parliament...
, a member of the European Parliament who created a scandal with his antisemitic writing ; Stanisław Jastrzębski, veteran Polish underground fighter during World War II; controversial politologist Edward Prus
Edward Prus
Edward Prus Edward Prus Edward Prus (born 1931 in Załoźce (now known as Zaliztsiv) near Zboriv, (now in the Ternopil oblast, Ukraine, died December 31, 2007) was a controversial Polish political activist and politologist with fields of interest in history of Poland (particularly the Second World...
; Stanisław Żurek; Norbert Tomczyk; Stanisław Sosenkiewicz; Henryk Komański; Szczepan Siekierka
Szczepan Siekierka
Szczepan Siekierka is a Polish writer, prolific essayist, and the President of the Polish Society for the Remembrance of the Victims of Crimes Committed by Ukrainian Nationalists SUOZUN , registered in 1992 and located at ul. Oławska 2 street in Wrocław, Poland. Siekierka is a frequent contributor...
; Witalij Masłowśkyj; Aleksander Korman; Mieczysław Dobrzański; Feliks Koneczny
Feliks Koneczny
Feliks Karol Koneczny was a Polish historian and social philosopher. Founder of the original system of the comparative science of civilizations.- Biography :...
, a Polish historian and social philosopher who claimed that Jews were conspiring to destroy Latin-Christian civilization and that Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
was example of Jewish civilization typeJoanna Beata Michlic, Poland's Threatening Other: The Image of the Jew from 1880 to the Present, U of Nebraska Press, 2006, ISBN 0803232403Google Print, p.179; Michał Poradowski; Stanisław Bełza; Izabella Wolikowska and others.
Controversy
In 2000, Nortom was forced to withdraw its 12 controversial titles from the Frankfurt Book FairFrankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. As to the number of visitors, the Turin Book Fair attracts about as many visitors, viz. some 300,000....
by the Polish Ministry of Culture representative Andrzej Nowakowski overlooking the Polish exposition. Nortom was accused of selling anti-German
Anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment is defined as an opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, and the German language. Its opposite is Germanophilia.-Russia:...
, Anti-Ukrainian
Anti-Ukrainian sentiment
Anti-Ukrainian sentiment or Ukrainophobia is animosity towards Ukrainians, Ukrainian culture, language or Ukraine as a nation. It is widely present in Poland and in the former Soviet Union, mainly in the Russian Federation and in some parts of Eastern Ukraine...
and antisemitic books, especially the following titles: Być czy nie być by Stanisław Bełza, Polska i Niemcy by Jędrzej Giertych
Jedrzej Giertych
Jędrzej Giertych was a Polish right-wing politician, journalist and writer, son of Franciszek Giertych, father of Maciej Giertych and grandfather of Roman Giertych...
and I tak nie przemogą. Antykościół, antypolonizm, masoneria by his son Maciej Giertych
Maciej Giertych
Maciej Marian Giertych is a Polish dendrologist and social conservative politician of the League of Polish Families . He favours state intervention in the economy. He was a member of the Sejm and a Polish member of the European Parliament...
. As a result of the above request, the president of the Polish delegation Andrzej Chrzanowski from Polska Izba Książki decided to penalize Nortom by removing it from the 2000 book fair altogether.