Buddhism for a Young Reader: Selected Examples from Polish Literature

Abstract

The article presents contemporary examples of Polish literature for young readers which are thematically related to Buddhism. Among this type of publications, three groups can be distinguished: books with collections of Buddhist fairy tales, a socio-moral novel, and a comic book. The novel Zenek i mrówki [Zenek and the Ants] by Andrzej Grabowski is particularly interesting. Here, Buddhism is presented in a very original way, with understanding of the needs of the Polish reader and with a sensitivity in presenting information about Buddhism. On the contemporary Polish publishing market, literature for young readers concerning non-Christian religions is rare, but the development of Buddhism in Europe means that one can expect further development of local Buddhist literature.