embassy events 2009

Libros Lege Contest Inauguration

4 March 2009

The inauguration of the Polish-American Libros Lege 2009 read-aloud contest took place on Tuesday, March 3 at the Warsaw Public Library.  U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe, who is one of the contest’s official patrons, read a passage from the book Flight of Eagles by Robert Karolevitz.  The excerpt the Ambassador selected was the Commendatory Order written in 1921 by Polish Air Force Chief of Staff Stanisław Jasiński to honor the American pilots of the Kościuszko Squadron, who fought valiantly for the principles of liberty and democracy on behalf of Poland.  Flight of Eagles is the Story of the American Kościuszko Squadron in the Polish–Russian War 1919–1920.  “I’d like to encourage everyone to participate in the contest,” said Ambassador Ashe.  “It’s a wonderful opportunity to become acquainted with great literature and improve language skills by reading in English.”  Please follow this link for more information on the Libros Lege contest.

The contest promotes American and English-language literature in Poland and encourages mutual appreciation of Polish and American cultures.  The contest will take place simultaneously in public libraries in Cook County, Chicago and Mazowieckie region including Warsaw, Poland with the first round concluding in May 2009.  The grand prize (awarded to five contest finalists) includes a round trip and a week’s stay in the U.S. or Poland, depending on the winner’s country of residence. 

Each contestant prepares two excerpts of American prose.  The performing time is limited to three minutes.  The first excerpt must be selected from the list of ten titles below.  The second excerpt is selected at random from the book Flight of Eagles by Robert Karolevitz about a U.S. pilot Merian C. Cooper, who formed the Kościuszko Squadron within the Polish Air Force to battle the Bolsheviks in the Polish-Soviet War 1919-1920.  The contestants read American Literature in simplified versions from Level 2 up to Level 6 and full text versions by the publisher Penguin Books. 

The list of literature for First Excerpt:

Level 2
1. Jack London - White Fang                                     

Level 3
2. Bill Gates - The Road Ahead
3. Alan Poe - The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Stories

Level 4
4. Frank McCourt - Teacher Man             
5. Margaret Mitchell - Gone with the Wind, Part I and Part 2

Level 5
6. Jack Kerouac - On the Road               
7. John Grisham - The Rainmaker        
8. John Steinbeck - East of Eden            
9. Stephen King - The Body

Level 6
10. George Orwell - Animal Farm