- October 5 (Sunday)
- Time: 18:30
- Duration 60 min
- Dom Literatury w Łodzi, Roosevelta Street 17
- The debate will be held in Polish
- Free entry
TAKTYKI PRZETRWANIA LUDZI NIEZNACZNYCH (“How insignificant people survive”)
Centrum Dobrej Rozmowy (“Center for good debate”)
What is it about?
What if strength doesn’t always mean victory, and survival can be a form of resistance?
A meeting with Agnieszka Dauksza is an invitation to a conversation about what is often unnoticed, silent, and under-appreciated — yet fundamental. In her book “Insignificant People: Survival Tactics” (published only in Polish : „Ludzie nieznaczni. Taktyki przetrwania”, Karakter, 2024), the author restores agency to those who — despite lacking privileges and power — do not disappear from the map of the world but transform it from its margins.
Guided by jellyfish, performers, artists, and animals, Dauksza takes us on an intellectual and emotional journey through places of vulnerability, resistance, and instinctive ways of acting. How do those considered “insignificant” endure, slip away, and keep going instead of fighting head-on? What does it mean to lose on your own terms — and why could that be a form of revolution? This conversation will explore dignity that needs no justification, empathy as a political strength, and failure as a strategy for creating change.
By whom?
Agnieszka Dauksza is a literary scholar, essayist, and author of biographies and academic books, including “Jaremianka”, “Klub Auschwitz i inne kluby,” and “Afektywny modernizm”. She has been a finalist for the Nike Award and has received numerous prestigious honors such as the Teresa Torańska Newsweek Award, the Polish Science Foundation Award, and the Gryfia Award. She holds scholarships from the cities of Kraków and Gdańsk and works at Jagiellonian University. In her daily life, she also faces many setbacks — and knows how to turn them into powerful stories.
Moderation:
Natalia Królikowska – PhD in humanities, producer of literary and cultural events, and literary activist.
Who is it for?
- for young people
- for adults
- for older people
- for those interested in contemporary literature, engaged humanities, everyday ethics, and micro-histories
- for everyone who wants to take the stigma off failure and turn it into a source of reflection, empathy, and strength
Why is it worth it?
Because the world isn’t made up only of heroes, winners, and strong individuals.
Because embracing failure is not giving up — it’s a different kind of courage.
Because the “insignificant” teach us how to live without losing ourselves, even in the harshest of worlds.
Because this is a gathering that stays with you — inside and between people.
Availability
The headquarters of the Dom literatury (“House of Literature”) are located in a historic tenement building on a high ground floor – there is no elevator, there are stairs and non-automatic entrance doors. Entry with a guide dog is permitted.
Entrance from Roosevelta Street. Paid city parking is available along Roosevelta Street.
Nearby, there are bus and tram stops: Sienkiewicza / Roosevelta and Al. Piłsudskiego / Sienkiewicza.
Photography: Agnieszka Dauksza, photo. Jakub Włodek