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There are no trees that grow to the sky. Everything has an end, even if it sometimes seems to us to be premature. The publisher of the quarterly magazine “Trimarium”, the Institute of Literature, ceases to exist as an independent institution on the last day of May this year. By a decision of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, it is being merged with the Book Institute, and a new cultural institution is being established in their place. Its programme of activities was announced, covering a wide range of activities within the literary field, with an important translation and publishing component.

The twentieth century was extremely turbulent for Central Europe. Two world wars remodelled the political shape of the region, several regime changes and social transformations emerged new structures. The great diversity of these processes, methods of social resistance or implementation of political solutions does not invalidate the fact that this variability was experienced everywhere. The very end of the turbulent century and the beginning of the new one seemed to be a time of strategic pause and, at the same time, of social tranquillity under a solidifying elite. But today we can already see that the twenty‑first century will not be a century of calm. That the scale of change we will face may well match that which characterised the last century. In the current issue of Trimarium, we are therefore looking at selected transformations and social uprisings of a different nature, in order to view our present situation in the mirror of those phenomena.

In the fourth issue of the quarterly, the historical section brings together articles relating to the theme of the depiction of Soviet domination in public space, often referred to as “unwanted legacy.” Various examples are presented, including: Monuments such as Soviet tanks in Poland, architecture in the Czech Republic, urban development in Moldova which are all part of the everyday life of successive generations living in these areas. The second section of this issue presents another interesting discussion: what belongs to literary heritage and how the literary canon should be formed? While the canon evokes an association with being canonical or immutable, it is, after all, a compilation of those works that are considered vital to the formation of cultural identity at a given time and in a given place.

For the first time, this year’s last issue features a section on reviews of published works.

The historical section of this issue of the quarterly contains articles on creating a model for the functioning of Central and Eastern European nations based on mutual understanding. As the authors point out, these ideas varied greatly. Some of them have entered the implementation phase, while others have remained the projects of political thinkers and visionaries. The literary section contains articles on the interpretation and comparative analysis of poetry in a historical context, including examples from authors such as Adam Zagajewski, Zbigniew Herbert and Lina Kostenko.

The historical section of the second issue of the quarterly examines the creation and integration of states after the First World War as economic problem. In the case of each of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, there were major changes in the way their economies functioned compared with the pre-war period. This was true for the newly formed states that were being revived, as well as for the existing states that had undergone regime changes and significant territorial changes. Changes in economic structures, supply chains, customs borders, taxation and monetary systems created an entirely new situation in the region.The literature section of the second issue of the quarterly contains articles on the most interesting phenomena and various difficulties encountered in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. These were illustrated by literary figures such as Jozef Albin Herbaczewski, Witkacy, Karel Čapek and Hryhorii Maifet, among others.

The first issue of the quarterly is dedicated to Central and Eastern Europe, which was emerging after the Great War. The articles in historical section show the divergence of interests and problem areas in the relations of these states from the perspective of each partner. The literary section of this issue is devoted mainly to themes of foreshadowing state independence in the national literature of Central and Eastern European countries. This issue is a mosaic that shows the different outlooks and  emphases and what is important for some and negligible for others: a diversity that defines the region of the Three Seas.