The author of this year’s distinguished prize, the statuette known as Mr. Cogito, is Dr. Bogdan Urbankowski. A philosopher, poet, and prose writer, he stands as a leading theorist of Polish Romanticism and a founder of a renewed Romantic literary movement. The award is presented by the Academic Civic Clubs of Lech Kaczynski as a symbolic tribute aligned with the spirit of the Year of Polish Romanticism designated by the Sejm.
The prize carries a symbolic weight, given to a longtime researcher and advocate who previously engaged with efforts to advance national independence. It acknowledges that the legacy and the voices of Mickiewicz, Słowacki, and Norwid form not only a national and universal heritage, but also a wellspring of genuine inspiration for contemporary creators.
Urbankowski reflected on his youthful manifestos from the New Romantic era, noting that he honored his commitments as a scout and that he now recognizes the lifetime effort required to fulfill those promises.
Wiesław Ratajczak, a literary historian, professor at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and head of the local chapter, spoke about the poet who has long confronted the central issues facing the national community. He reminded the audience not to flatter or lull themselves but to stay alert, to challenge and to carry the weight of inherited responsibilities.
Ratajczak emphasized that Urbankowski’s work so vividly connects the past to the present that figures such as Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Józef Piłsudski, Zbigniew Herbert, and John Paul II appear as continuing participants in the modern pursuit of independence.
Urbankowski was praised as one of the most steadfast stewards of the country’s invisible reserves and a tireless interpreter of national will. In the Year of Polish Romanticism, he was celebrated as a distinguished scholar who preserves and advances this enduring tradition.
Urbankowski is the author of the well-known Red Mass, a panorama of attempts to shape Soviet culture in Poland through writers who acted as priests, informants, or occupiers. He is also an admirer of Józef Piłsudski and the author of a monograph about him as a dreamer and strategist. He chairs the program board of the Piłsudski Association, contributing to ongoing scholarship and discourse about the nation’s path.
According to Urbankowski, Polish Romanticism flows from the living heritage of Polish culture, rooted in Christian and Latin Western traditions, and shaped by Sarmatist heritage. It evolved into a broad instrument for the struggle for freedom, encompassing literature, music, and the visual arts.
Polish Romantic culture is marked by moments of threat driven by political events, a forceful poetry that calls to action, and a willingness to sacrifice and endure. This includes the pinnacle of prison poetry, exemplified by Mickiewicz’s Dziady and its lineage in Ludwik Waryński’s Mazur Kajdaniarski, written during imprisonment in the Warsaw Citadel.
Past laureates of the Pan Cogito statuette include Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz, Jan Pietrzak, Professor Andrzej Nowak, and Ernest Bryll. The award honors long-standing service to the Polish nation and state, celebrates the country’s cultural heritage, supports the preservation of Polish national identity, and honors those who defend and sustain Polish tradition.