Galileo in Poland: a 17th-century Latin Translation of the Proposta della longitudine
The relationship between Galileo and Poland is a particularly obscure chapter of the Florentine’s extraordinary intellectual biography. Currently, our knowledge of this important connection remains limited to the 19th-century studies of Artur Wołyński and that of Bronisław Biliński in 1969. In light of this important yet neglected field, this article examines a previously unknown Latin version of the Proposta della longitudine, printed in Cracow in 1642. Currently preserved in a single manuscript copy at the National Library in Florence, this brief tract represents an exemplar of Galileo’s work that circulated handwritten in early modern Italy. Printed in Cracow, the Proposta is the only translation
of Galileo’s work in Poland during the seventeenth century, and represents a missing piece in the greater puzzle of the personal and professional relations Galileo established with Polish intellectual circles. This Latin translation is not only a bibliographical rarity; it is a cultural product that unlocks new perspectives from which to analyze the relationship between the non-Italian reception of the vicissitudes of Galileo’s personal and intellectual journey, and that of the scientist himself. As in other European regions, Polish attitudes towards Italian literary products were such as to give them prominence in light of the “function and power of innovation” (Davide Conrieri). The translation of the Proposta della longitudine, printed some thirty years after its original draft, thus provided an opportunity, at least in the conception of its sponsor and translator, to launch a debate of significant public interest.

Travel, Insanity and Writing. The Study of Nerval
Voyage on Orient by Nerval corresponds with the trend of travel literature developed in France in the 19th century and was influenced by the works of François-René de Chateaubriand and Alphonse de Lamartine. It recounts the writer’s memories of his travels to Vienna and the Middle East. Nerval’s interest in Oriental culture is evidenced by the level of his preparation prior to departure. In order to be fully informed he familarised himself with a wealth of literature on the customs of Arabic countries. He sought to deepen his knowledge further during his travels through Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey. Diagnosed as insane, Nerval was forced to interrupt his travels. In order to demonstrate the improvement in his mental health, Nerval wrote an account of two of his travels. During his stay at the asylum under the care of doctor Blanche, Nerval developed an interest in the idea and origins of insanity and decided to seek answers from the oriental culture.

Antonio Lupis (XVII w.): praktykant w weneckiej Akademii degli Incogniti
Wśród najbardziej znaczących siedemnastowiecznych gremiów Accademia degli Incogniti, założona przez Giovana Francesca Loredana w Wenecji około 1630 roku, jeszcze w połowie wieku potrafiła przyciągać intelektualistów z całego półwyspu. Loredano, znany z relacji z nieco libertyńskim środowiskiem uniwersyteckiej Padwy, rozbudził pewne nadzieje w kręgach intelektualistów, dla których pisarstwo stanowiło jedyną drogę do sławy. Gdy Loredano umarł w 1661 roku, w wieku zaledwie 50 lat, w chwili wyraźnego schyłku swej kariery politycznej, pozostawił nie tylko niezrealizowany zamiar promocji własnej osoby, lecz również kilku późnych epigonów tego ambitnego przedsięwzięcia artystycznego. Wśród nich znajdował się młody literat pochodzący z Molfetty (prow. Bari), Antonio
Lupis. Artykuł stanowi próbę zrekonstruowania literackiej sylwetki tego pisarza na podstawie niepełnych i rozproszonych informacji wydobytych z materiałów archiwalnych, z jego korespondencji i twórczości powieściowej. Badania te są częścią prac mających doprowadzić do publikacji dwóch biografii Loredana, które napisali autorzy jemu współcześni i które zostały opublikowane wkrótce po jego śmierci: pierwszej autorstwa Gaudenzia Brunacciego pochodzącego z regionu Marche (1662), drugiej przygotowanej przez wzmiankowanego Antonia Lupisa (1663).

Transgressing the Semi-peripheral Condition – the Idea of a Spiritual Empire in Fernando Pessoa
The purpose of this article is the analysis of the transformation of the idea of the Fifth Empire from the myth of sebastianism in the works of Fernando Pessoa. Taking the advantage of the meaning of the idea of empire in the collective imagination, Pessoa employs it as a metaphor for his own proposal of creation of a spiritual empire, the empire of universal and transnational culture in response to the identity crisis provoked by the self-identification by the national community as a semi-peripheral one. Due to the analysis of the concepts of nation, fatherland, imperialism, civilization, and finally reinterpretation of the various elements of the myth of the Fifth Empire, Pessoa comes to the creation of a new identity proposal for his national community, moving the imperial imagery into the realm of spiritual and recalling in his vision of the empire of universal culture such Portuguese national features as syncretism, mimicry and hybridism (the diagnosis of Boaventura de Sousa Santos).