Exposing Esperanto's hidden politics in the Zamenhof-era; and drawing lessons for Esperantists in the here and now

Also published at https://ikso.net/exposing-esperantos-hidden-politics-in-the-zamenhof-era-and-drawing-lessons-for-esperantists-in-the-here-and-now/

 

 I recently spent several days attending to the English version of a biographical website about Ludocik Lejzer Zamenhof (Zamenhof.info). This started out quite simply as proofreading the original English translation, and making a few stylistic changes here and there. But as I worked my way through the site I found myself increasingly referring back to the original Esperanto, trying to make a better translation, and even adding completely new information.

PL 1: Józef Piłsudski, Polish freedom fighter

Following c.865 years of existence as a state power on the European stage, and also following 23 years of territorial losses, in 1795 Poland disappeared entirely from the political map. In 1918, after the First World War, and after 123 years of simultaneous partition by three separate empires – Russia, Germany, and Austria – the ancient Polish nation regained its independence.

This essay is a hagiography of the Polish independence movement’s protagonist Józef Piłsudski, and it will broadly outline of how that independence was achieved. Certain complexities of the wider movement and society have been deliberately overlooked in this essay. These will be explored in a future essay, and their omission on this occasion will allow an element of contrast with the follow-up piece.