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Gliwice, undated (between April and May 1975)

Dear Krysia,

I am very sorry that I wasn’t writing you back, but I really didn’t have one free moment. I was sitting in the darkroom for 12 hours every day. I had a deadline for submitting the paste-up of my book,1 moved from February to 15 March. As you know, the first paste-up was taken away by someone from the publishing house. I had to do everything from scratch and besides that to add a couple of chapters. Altogether the book will include 15 cycles speaking about man, his feelings and anxieties, etc. arranged into one whole. I had to find a quote for every cycle. At first I was thinking about entire poems, I read a lot of poetry by very diverse poets, but it was no good. I couldn’t find anything for such a simple feeling as the one produced by maternity. Finally I decided that it would be just two lines, short quotes, so that words would be just an addition to the essential thing, that is the photos. I finally submitted it on 18 March. The publisher was very happy about it, but a problem appeared that it was necessary to use more paper than it had been planned, and you can’t (there are very strict regulations about it) leave an empty page, and putting photos from different cycles side-by-side ruins the whole concept of the book. Everything is to be on black paper. Fortunately, the editor is firmly convinced that my demands and ideas are right. Now I have to wait. If everything goes well, the book will appear towards the end of the year or in early 1976.2

It cost me a huge amount of work, there were moments of happiness, but at times I was almost in despair that it was worthless. I couldn’t think about anything else, I got creative leave at the Polytechnics. The constant sitting in the darkroom heavily damaged my eyes and heart (through lack of oxygenation). I thought I would take a rest now, but first I had to do 200 landscapes 30 x 40 for Desa, and now large photos for an exhibition of the “searchers” in Mexico.3 And yesterday I also got a contract 4 for a book about Rabka, with a monthly deadline. In June I intended to go to Estonia for 14 days. I would very much like to “hit the road with you” in Poland – think about it.

About your job abroad: only during my recent stay in Warsaw I learned that can always send the royalties to the ZAIKS account even if you are not a member, for it concerns hard currency.

I kiss you warmly, greetings for everyone Z

1) The title was The World of Feelings and Imagination.
2) Finally the book appeared in 1979 (Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza). 3) Polish Creative Photography, José Clemente Orozco Gallery, Mexico, 1975. 4) The book was never published, the publisher dissolved the contract.