– Stanisław followed the principle: live life intensely!

A conversation with Wojciech Grabowski, author of the book "Stanisław" (Carpathia Book Publishing House) about Stanisław Marko, who became famous for his solo voyage in 1998 from Przemyśl to Gdańsk on a raft he constructed himself from plastic PET bottles.

The Przemyśl Libera bookstore has published your book entitled "Stanisław". Why, 15 years after Stanisław Marko's death, did you decide to write a book about a well-known Przemyśl social activist and man of many passions?

– Stanisław is still a little-known figure. First of all, I wanted to pay tribute to him, but also remind the younger generations. Despite the adversities of fate, despite his disability (he had no hand), he was an extremely optimistic person. He is a wonderful and very current example of how to live. I collected materials for a long time. I made drawings. Also from the space of Przemyśl. I wrote down what I remembered from my adventures with Stanisław, and he often took us on expeditions as children. And so, slowly, I collected materials for a book. Then, when I decided that it constituted a whole, albeit small, but coherent, I decided to find a publisher and publish a memoir about an extraordinary man.

Privately, Stanisław Marko is your uncle. How close was this relationship?

– Aunt Irka, née Czekanowska, my mother's sister, married Stanisław. In this way Stanisław became my uncle. My aunt's family was noble, with noble traditions, and it is typical of Przemyśl to emphasize noble connections, but he was a completely different person. He broke taboos. He was often considered a weirdo. It was only years later that I realized what refreshing values ​​he brought to this family.

Stanisław Marko often visited the editorial offices of "Życie Przemyskie" and "Życie Podkarpackie". He showered the reactors with his ideas and initiatives. His crowning achievement was a lonely voyage from Przemyśl to Gdańsk (he reached Warsaw) on a raft he designed and built himself from PET plastic bottles. How do you assess your uncle's exploits after all these years?

– Stanisław's 1998 voyage is gaining in value. He did not accomplish a great feat if we look at this voyage in nautical and navigational categories. Symbolism remains important. Even then, Stanisław asked: why throw away plastic bottles? Who in 1998 in Poland thought about their recycling and ecology? Plastic bottles were lying around in garbage bins, going to waste. Why throw them away, since they are a great buoyancy material from which you can build, for example, a raft. At the age of 68, being retired, he wanted to see if he could do it. Indeed, it turned out that his health did not allow him to complete the voyage. He miscalculated, but that does not affect the value of his feat. What's more, he showed that you can get back up in any situation. He had a heart attack on the raft and miraculously swam to shore. He was saved. A few months later, he had a stroke. He was half-paralyzed. Despite this, he did not stop being active. He introduced his rationalizing ideas. He went around to editorial offices. He proposed solutions for the city.

Well, just as famous as the cruise and the ecological raft were Mr. Stanisław's subsequent eccentric constructions and his participation in the national competition called "Śśligi na bele coś...".

- Even if...

Chess is one of Mr. Stanisław's many passions. Have you ever played a game with your uncle? It is worth mentioning that Mr. Stanisław was eager to teach young adepts of this royal game.

– I remember one game, in my early childhood. A game played with one and a half meters large but light pieces in one of the squares of Przemyśl. An extraordinary experience. I remember that one game. After that I didn't play anymore. I wouldn't dare. He was too good, and I never had a talent for chess.

What do you think is worth emphasizing in the description of a character like Stanisław Maro? What is worth saving from oblivion?

– Curiosity about the world. He honored the principle: it is worth living life intensely. Never rest on your laurels. Never give up. He always repeated: life and the world are a wonderful adventure. I also try to stick to these simple truths. For example, getting up in the morning with joy and curiosity about what the day will bring.

You illustrated the book with your drawings of Przemyśl and portraits of Stanisław Marko. An exhibition of your drawings can still be seen in the Przemyśl Public Library. The black-and-white drawings convey the unique charm of the city on the San, and their atmosphere is reminiscent of Bruno Schulz's Drohobycz world. Would you agree that your book not only brings back the memory of an extraordinary person, but is also a tribute to the city and space in which Stanisław Marko lived and pursued his passions?

– If I managed to do this even a little, then I am very happy. Not only to remind you of my extraordinary uncle, but also to show where he lived, in what an extraordinary city and how Stanisław's life was intertwined with his city. Przemyśl is also absolutely exceptional for me. I return to it like to Mecca. The Arabic layout, the monuments, the sloping streets. All of this is so extraordinary that we can truly say that Przemyśl is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I spent my happy childhood here. Maybe that is why Przemyśl is still a magical land for me.

Thank you for the conversation

Artur Wilgucki

Stanisław Marko (born 05. 07. 1930 Przemyśl – died 04.11. 2010 Przemyśl). A well-known social activist in Przemyśl, author of innovative urban solutions, rationalizer, chess instructor, amateur sportsman. In 1998, at the age of 68, he organized a lonely cruise from Przemyśl to Gdańsk on a raft he had built himself from plastic PET bottles. The escapade ended in Warsaw due to a massive heart attack. However, he managed to swim to shore safely. He was saved, and the cruise to Gdańsk was continued by enthusiasts of his feat. Participant in the competition of original constructions called "Zjazd na bele coś". Nominated for the title of "Przemyślin of the Year". Actively involved in the activities of the Przemyśl Association of the Good Soldier Švejk. Participant in many occasional meetings with outstanding figures, including Adam Małysz, Archbishop of Przemyśl Ignacy Tokarczuk and Nobel Prize winner Czesław Miłosz. In 1942, at the age of twelve, while constructing a firecracker on the San River in Przemyśl, he lost his arm. He crossed the river himself to a nearby hospital. He fainted just before the hospital gate. Despite his disability and after suffering a severe stroke, Stanisław Marko proved that life can be lived joyfully, intensively, interestingly and beautifully.

Wojciech Grabowski

Graduate of the Institute of Art at the Pedagogical University of Krakow and the Screenwriting Study at the Film School in Łódź. Illustrator, writer, author of films about art made for TVP Kultura (including "Expressionism in Poland", "A Journey with Rafał Malczewski", "Artes – Nadrealiści ze Lwowa"). He made his debut in 2012 with a collection of short stories "Człowiek-motocykl". Then he published: "Archi-traf. Opowieści o architekturyurze Śląska i Zagłębia", "Miastowidz. Opowieści ze śląskiej metropolii", "Dizajn tych czasu", "Tu. Sztuka i przestrzeni Górnego Śląska", "Maroko, czyli rzecz o owocaniu na Górnym Śląsku" (2024). This year, his next book was published entitled "Stanisław". He lives in Będzin. He teaches students freehand drawing, which seems important and necessary to him in the times of SI expansion.