44 / Czterdzieści i Cztery

44 / Czterdzieści i Cztery ("44 / Forty-Four"), subtitled Magazyn Apokaliptyczny ("Apocalyptic Magazine"), is a Polish cultural periodical founded by former editors of the magazine Fronda. The editorial team resigned from Fronda in November 2007 after its editor-in-chief, Marek Horodniczy, was dismissed following more than two years in the role. Horodniczy became editor-in-chief of the new journal, supported by an editorial board including Nikodem Bończa-Tomaszewski, Michał Dylewski, Łukasz Łangowski, Michał Łuczewski, Filip Memches, Rafał Tichy and Jan Zieliński. The magazine declares a special emphasis on tradition and the contemporary relevance of the messianic idea, grounded in Catholic theology of history and the economy of salvation. It addresses civilizational, metapolitical, artistic and literary questions, presenting them in accessible and attractive forms: traditional articles, debates, interviews, short stories, poems and reviews, as well as presentations of works by contemporary artists, musicians and comic-book creators, including through digital media. The editorial team places particular weight on aesthetics, aiming for the journal itself to be a beautiful work of editorial art; the graphic design is by Jan Zieliński. The first issue appeared at the turn of November and December 2008 after a long delay (the premiere had originally been announced for early 2008). It was accompanied by a free CD by Michał Jacaszek titled 44 słowa / Audioryngraf, an electroacoustic meditation on the hymn Bogurodzica, and included reproductions of works by the young artist Maciej Banaś. At the premiere presentation, co-founder Rafał Tichy delivered a "Neo-messianic Manifesto." A second issue, dated 2009, appeared at the turn of January and February 2010 and included a gallery of works by Maciej M. Michalski. From September to November 2009, part of the "44" milieu co-created the publicistic television programme Koniec końców on TVP1, hosted by Marek Horodniczy and musician Paweł Kukiz, with Maciej Stanecki as originator and director, Filip Memches writing scripts, Jan Zieliński creating short animated films and Rafał Porzeziński producing. After ten episodes the contract was not renewed because viewership was lower than expected. The journal and its circle have been widely discussed and sharply debated across the Polish opinion press, including Gazeta Wyborcza, Polityka and Rzeczpospolita, receiving divergent assessments from across the ideological spectrum. Commentators have described it variously as a new voice of Catholic counterculture, as a forum open to dialogue across deep differences, and as an expression of "anti-systemic revolutionary messianism" and "ultra-moralism from the catacombs."

The circle around 44 / Czterdzieści i Cztery emerged from a split within the Polish magazine Fronda. In November 2007, editors resigned after Marek Horodniczy, who had led Fronda for more than two years, was dismissed. They went on to establish a new periodical, 44 / Czterdzieści i Cztery, subtitled Magazyn Apokaliptyczny. Horodniczy became editor-in-chief, and the editorial board was formed by Nikodem Bończa-Tomaszewski, Michał Dylewski, Łukasz Łangowski, Michał Łuczewski, Filip Memches, Rafał Tichy and Jan Zieliński. The journal's declared profile centers on tradition and the contemporary relevance of the messianic idea, based on Catholic theology of history and the economy of salvation. It covers civilizational, metapolitical, artistic and literary topics, using articles, debates, interviews, fiction, poetry and reviews, and also presenting works by contemporary artists, musicians and comic creators, including via digital media. Aesthetic quality is a stated priority, with Jan Zieliński responsible for the graphic design. The first issue was long delayed, appearing only at the turn of November and December 2008, although the premiere had originally been announced for early 2008. It included a free CD by Michał Jacaszek, 44 słowa / Audioryngraf, an electroacoustic meditation on the hymn Bogurodzica, and reproductions of works by the young artist Maciej Banaś. At the premiere presentation, co-founder Rafał Tichy delivered a "Neo-messianic Manifesto," and in a programmatic article he argued that the greatest defeat of Christian messianism in the 20th century was the surrender of the messianic idea to false political messianisms. Tichy also promised to "rehabilitate our bards." The second issue, dated 2009, appeared at the turn of January and February 2010 and featured a gallery of works by Maciej M. Michalski. From September to November 2009, part of the 44 circle co-created the publicistic programme Koniec końców on TVP1. It was hosted by Marek Horodniczy and musician Paweł Kukiz; Maciej Stanecki was the originator and director, Filip Memches wrote scripts, Jan Zieliński made short animated films, and Rafał Porzeziński produced. After ten episodes, the contract was not renewed because viewership was lower than expected. The journal and its milieu have been continuously discussed and sharply commented on by much of the Polish opinion press, including Gazeta Wyborcza, Polityka and Rzeczpospolita, with assessments ranging across the ideological spectrum. Adam Szostkiewicz described it as "a new magazine of the Catholic counterculture current," an intellectual and ideological antipode to the generation of Catholic intelligentsia shaped by John Paul II, Jerzy Turowicz's Tygodnik Powszechny and Tadeusz Mazowiecki's Więź. Religious philosopher Zbigniew Mikołejko said an agnostic could converse with the Catholic neo-messianists "without any embarrassment, although all the differences remain." Musician Paweł Kukiz remarked that one could disagree with the people of "Czwórki" but that this did not preclude dialogue, and that he felt none of the hatred that blocks dialogue among leading Polish politicians. Adam Leszczyński, reviewing issue no. 2, wrote that he did not know why nations must have a mission and metaphysical meaning, or what Poland's exceptional distinctness would consist of, and did not think sacrum was what Polish politics most lacked, but respected the refreshing courage of utopian thinking and called "44" a fascinating read. Conservative political scientist Marek Cichocki accused the authors of adopting a perspective of "anti-systemic revolutionary messianism" and "ultra-moralism from the catacombs." Rafał Ziemkiewicz considered the magazine's publications "one of the more interesting events in Polish intellectual life of recent months."

• Editors resign from Fronda after Marek Horodniczy is dismissed

• First issue of 44 / Czterdzieści i Cztery published

• Koniec końców TV programme co-created by the 44 milieu airs on TVP1

• Second issue published, dated 2009

A culturally and religiously oriented periodical combining Catholic messianic thought with art, literature and metapolitical debate, distinguished by high editorial aesthetics.

• 44 / Czterdzieści i Cztery. Magazyn Apokaliptyczny (periodical)

• 44 słowa / Audioryngraf (CD by Michał Jacaszek)

1. 144 / Czterdzieści i Cztery – Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 244 / Czterdzieści i Cztery – Wikipedia (Polish)pl.wikipedia.org