The Czytelnik Publishing House (Polish: Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza „Czytelnik”) is a publishing company in Poland. It was established in 1944 behind the Soviet front line as the Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza "Czytelnik" ("Czytelnik" Publishing Cooperative). As of now, it is the oldest post–World War II publisher in Poland. The word czytelnik means "reader" in Polish.
Intended to be located in Warsaw after the Nazi German withdrawal, it was temporarily headquartered in Lublin and Łódź. In July 1945 the headquarters were moved to Warsaw. Initially, the Czytelnik published newspapers, periodicals, as well as books. Since 1951 publishing of newspapers and periodicals was transferred to the Workers' Publishing Cooperative "Prasa" ("Press"), which was reorganized and greatly expanded in 1973 as the Prasa-Książka-Ruch ("Press-Book-Movement") monopoly financing the PZPR until the end of Soviet domination.
In 1945–48 the publishing house was under heavy influence of a committed Stalinist Jerzy Borejsza. It was a publishing monopoly in Communist Poland, described by Czesław Miłosz as Borejsza's "personal state-within-a-state for books and press". Borejsza was removed from his role during the ousting of Władysław Gomułka in 1948, part of the Soviet-led campaign against the so-called "right-wing and nationalist deviation" in Polish Workers' Party.
Contents
Presidents
1944: Jerzy Borejsza
1948: Jerzy Pański
1952: Jan Stefczyk
1955: Ludwik Kasiński
1975: Stanisław Bębenek
1989: Wacław Sadkowski
1990: Jerzy S. Sito
1991: Stefan Bratkowski
1992: Marek Bogucki
1994: Włodzimierz Michalak
1995: Marek Żakowski
Book series
Archiwum Kultury (English, "Culture Archive")
Biblioteka Dwudziestolecia (English, "Library of the Interwar Period")
Biblioteka Expressu Wieczornego (English, "Library of the Evening Express")
Biblioteka Gazety Poznanskiej (English, "Library of Poznan Newspapers")
Biblioteka Literatury Faktu XXX-lecia (English, "30th Anniversary of Fact Literature Library")
Biblioteka Naukowa Mlodego Czytelnika (English, "Scientific Library of the Young Reader")
Biblioteka Popularnonaukowa "Mathesis Polskiej" (English, "'Polish Knowledge' Popular Science Library")
Biblioteka Powszechna (English, "Public Library")
Biblioteka Romansow i Powiesci (English, "Library of Romance and Novels")
Biblioteka Satyry (English, "Library of Satire")
Biblioteka Szpilek (English, "Pins Library")
Biblioteka Trybuny Wolnosci (English, "Library of Freedom Tribune")
Biblioteka Uniwersytetow Robotniczych (English, "Library of Workers' Universities")
Dom i Swiat (English, "Home and World")
Klasycy Literatury XX Wieku (English, "Classics of 20th Century Literature")