We are proud to announce the winner of the 2026 MSA Translation Prize is Marta Figlerowicz
Marta Figlerowicz’s prize-winning translation gathers a selection of writings from Maria Janion, one of Eastern Europe’s most profound and original intellectuals
How do nationalism and patriotism shape our understanding of identity, and when do they drift into dangerous territory? Marta Figlerowicz gathers a selection of writings from Maria Janion, one of Eastern Europe’s most profound and original intellectuals, to explore this fine line.
The Bad Child offers sharp insights into how societies develop and assert their identities and histories—often at the cost of the people. Janion’s reflections on fascism, popular culture, and national self-fashioning presciently name and critique regional dynamics that have most recently resulted in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and they broadly expose the illusions that cultures can promote and the dangerous slide from national pride to exclusionary right-wing politics.
The Bad Child A Maria Janion Reader
More on the prize is available on the Modernist Studies Association website.