On 16 June 2015, one of the most distinguished contemporary specialists in Polish and Slavic studies, literary critic and translator, Professor Luigi Marinelli, was awarded with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Jagiellonian University.
The JU Senate has conferred honorary doctorate upon Professor Marinelli for his contribution to popularising Polish literature and culture abroad, and for shaping the modern formula of Polish Studies in the world. He was also praised for his lengthy and fruitful academic career as well as his efforts in establishing a stronger cultural bond between Poland and Italy. Professor Marinelli's laudatory speech was delivered by Prof. Magdalena Popiel from the Chair in Anthropology of Literature and Cultural Studies.
Professor Luigi Marinelli first came to Poland in the late 1970s. His stay in Warsaw allowed him to confront the image of communism then presented in the dominant left-wing Italian intellectual community with the reality in Poland. His time at the Faculty of Slavic Studies of the University of Florence and vivid interest in Polish culture resulted in over one hundred papers devoted to comparative studies and translation, written throughout his entire academic career.
In his speech, Professor Marinelli recalled his trips to Poland, when he was forced to travel by train because of his fear of flying. The restrictions imposed upon the communist government made many everyday activities, such as travelling, a gruelling endeavour. In that time, he became impressed by the Polish struggle for independence, and the fight for freedom of speech, thought and a free Europe. The Professor pointed to the similarities between crossing geographical borders and crossing the linguistic and cultural ones.
