„Naród zatracenia” (Lost souls)
graphic novel published in polish version in the name of celebration of 70th anniversary of liquidation of Litzmannstadt Ghetto, in 2014 by The Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre in Łódź, Poland ; // ”Lost souls”, graphic novel in english version published in 2019 by the Foundation for Intermedia Development, Kraków, Poland
/exhibition, meetings, reviews, grant from The School of Art and Visual Studies at the University of Kentucky, with the support of the Donovan Foundation Grant, exhibition at the Niles Gallery, University of Kentucky in Lexington, USA, 2019 / curator: Dmitry Strakovsky
link to polish version of the book on The Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre web page.
The graphic novel “Lost Souls” was a collaboration of two authors: Mariusz Sołtysik – author of the illustrations, and Maciej Świerkocki – author of the treatment (idea) and all texts, including the English translations. It is a fiction about a foundling named David inspired by true events at the Litzmannstadt Ghetto in Łódź: the so-called ”Gehsperre Aktion”* in 1942 and the liquidation of the ghetto in 1944.
/ Creative process
Maciej invited me to work closely with him on a historical fiction. We decided to meet every two weeks. Every two weeks I made new sketches / drawings inspired by the ideas in his treatment, and every two weeks he wrote new texts inspired by my drawings (sketches). When we were about to finish one part, I started to do large format drawings. Our collaboration, or creative process, indeed, lasted two years. In 2014 our graphic novel was published by The Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre.
/ Reception
Our novel was one of the few that explored the nightmare of war and national traumas. After the Polish original of “Lost Souls” was published by the Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre in 2014, we received excellent reviews. Many studies appeared in the most important Polish literary magazines, e.g.: “Pionierskie przepracowywanie traum” (Pioneering Reprocessing of Traumas), K. Wojtaszczyk, ”Bliza”, issue 4 (21) 2014, “Niewidzialny patrzy” (The Invisible is Looking), M. Ratajczak, ”Odra” no. 3 March 2016, and invitations to exhibit the original plates (not prints) as part of the “Made in Polin” event at the 2016/2017 exhibition “Follow The Story Lines” at Polin – Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw (which bought original drawing to the museum collection), and to participate in and exhibit prints at the 2015 “Conrad Festival” at Krakow’s Pasaż Club.
As a result of those events, The Donovan Foundation Grant at the University of Kentucky granted us their award for outstanding artistic achievements.
My stay at the University of Kentucky included an exhibition, lectures, workshops, and a conference. The English-language version of the graphic novel ”Lost Souls” was disseminated during an exhibition at the Niles Gallery at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, USA. I presented the exhibition in the author’s original arrangement and concept – in the form of printouts, and a 9-metre-long graffiti which, in this case, was a site-specific art work. The exhibition lasted from October 17 to 20 December 2019.
The graphic novel ”Lost Souls” / „Naród zatracenia”, created by Maciej Świerkocki (concept and text) and Mariusz Sołtysik (visual layer), has been discussed in academic research on contemporary Holocaust comics and visual representations of memory.
In the article “Łódź in »Lost Souls« by Maciej Świerkocki and Mariusz Sołtysik” (”Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Litteraria Polonica”, 2024), Magdalena Lachman and Dominika Nowicka analyse the graphic novel as a work situated within the historical space of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. They examine the relationship between the city of Łódź, historical memory, and the interaction of verbal and visual narratives. The authors emphasize the role of topographical references, historical contexts, and the specific way in which the graphic novel combines image and text into a unified form of storytelling.
The work has also been placed within broader international studies of Holocaust comics. In the volume ”Beyond MAUS: The Legacy of Holocaust Comics” (Böhlau Verlag, 2021), Kalina Kupczyńska discusses ”Lost Souls” in the context of recent Polish comics dealing with the Holocaust and questions of post-memory, representation, and the legacy of Art Spiegelman’s ”Maus”.
Selected references:
Magdalena Lachman, Dominika Nowicka, “Łódź in »Lost Souls« by Maciej Świerkocki and Mariusz Sołtysik”, ”Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Litteraria Polonica” 2(69), 2024. / link: https://www.czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl
Kalina Kupczyńska, “Haunted But Not Healed. The Holocaust in Recent Polish Comics,” in: Ole Frahm, Hans-Joachim Hahn, Markus Streb (eds.), ”Beyond MAUS: The Legacy of Holocaust Comics”, Böhlau Verlag, 2021. / link: https://www.degruyterbrill.com
Technical details:
Format: 16.5 × 21 cm; 128 pages.
Printed in black, white and red using offset and digital printing techniques.
Original drawings: Chinese ink, Japanese Copic markers and paint on paper (50 × 70 cm).
Footnote:
* ”Gehsperre Aktion” (roughly translates as ”Lock-up Action”) was a deportation of 15 681 children from the Lodz Ghetto to Chełmno death camp (German: Kulmhof) in September 1942.
