Cztery strony czasu

This book by Iwona Chmielewska is a beautiful story about history. Its plot is set in the main square of the city of Toruń – precisely in the four houses around the city hall’s tower. The plot is measured by the 4 seasons – one every 100 years. This concept allows a kind of wandering through time: meet the people living in different ages, observe their belongings that accompany them in everyday life. Precisely designed scenography, costumes – almost literally „sawn” (as a collage and photomontage) from scrapes of decorative fabrics that are fitting to the time and place, enchant the readers and allow them to identify with book’s protagonists. One of the best things of the book is the author’s timeless, refined, calm usage of colours – very typical for Chmielewska – that creates the consistently uniform rhythm of the book. All the silhouettes are frozen in theatrical poses, which seem to be familiar because their gestures are familiar from famous pieces of art: they allow reader to be part of the scene. Using the ceremonial dimension of the theatre – history is depicted in a perfect way.