Emeritus Professor of Polish and Comparative Literature Robert A. Rothstein is publishing a new book, A Final Dose of Words to the Wise, to be released on May 15, 2026.
Since 2004, Professor Rothstein has been writing about Polish language, literature, and folklore for the Boston-based biweekly Biały Orzeł/White Eagle. Inspired by the calendar, by items in the Polish press, by his experience learning and teaching the Polish language, by new acquisitions for his home library, by questions from readers, and by serendipity, he has explored, among other things, the origins of words and expressions, the grammatical peculiarities of the language, and the reflections of everyday (and not so everyday) life in Polish proverbs and folksongs and in the works of great Polish writers.
The present edited collection of seventy of his columns deals with topics ranging from books for children to “penny dreadfuls,” from national and ethnic minorities to Polish birds, from holidays to school notebook humor, from dentistry to firefighting. You don’t have to be Polish—or even know Polish—to enjoy the essays collected here.
The book can be ordered here. Please join us in congratulating Prof. Rothstein!