The literary bibliography in the Institute of Literary Research – IBL PAN (1948-2010): Origin, achievements and future

Abstract

The article discusses literary bibliographies prepared in the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IBL PAN), their origin, specificity and the assumptions adopted for the preparation of various and diversified types of bibliographies. A particular attention is given to literary bibliographies with a wide scope and range of the sources included that are usually the result of a team work such as: Bibliografia literatury polskiej “Nowy Korbut” and the dictionaries Słownik pisarzy polskich (Series I and II) and Współcześni polscy pisarze i badacze literatury; Dawni pisarze polscy. Od początków piśmiennictwa do Młodej Polski. Przewodnik biograficzny i bibliograficzny; Słownik pseudonimów pisarzy polskich (XV w.-1995), Literatura polska i teatr w latach II wojny światowej. Bibliografia; Polska Bibliografia Literacka; Literatura i krytyka literacka poza cenzurą 1977-1989; Kto był kim w drugim obiegu? Słownik pseudonimów pisarzy i dziennikarzy. 1976-1989; Bez cenzury 1976-1989. Literatura, ruch wydawniczy, teatr. Bibliografia; Bibliografia Bara. Kartoteka Bibliografii Literackiej Zawartości Czasopism Polskich XIX i XX wieku (do roku 1939). These bibliographies aim at presenting the facts from the literary and cultural life of Poland from the earliest times of writing to modern times. Two electronic versions of the literary bibliography – PBL on-line – are presented as a continuation of the printed book Polska Bibliografia Literacka, and Bibliografia Bara – electronic version of the bibliographical file catalogue Bibliografia Bara. Kartoteka Bibliografii Literackiej Zawartości Czasopism Polskich XIX i XX wieku (do roku 1939) worked out and edited by Adam Bar, initiated during the second world war and completed in the 1950s. Additionally, the author discusses the problem of censorship of literary bibliographies in the years 1948-1989, current situation in methods for compiling literary bibliographies and provides a short outline of the problems in documentation of areas not yet covered by bibliographical records. All the presented bibliographies are retrospective bibliographies. Hence, a necessity has arisen as to work out a far-reaching plan to be prepared for the PBL, i.e. a current bibliography that is a fundamental compendium of information on literature and the theory of literature, a form of a basic workshop for literary studies and a source for many other bibliographical works, as well as a fundamental tool for literary criticism.