It has been already a while since the summer has ended and the new academic year has begun. Our Ph.D students, Ove Averin and Gniewomir Hawrasz, recall the summer one last time and share their stories about the ways leading them to virtue and knowledge, following the dual approach of vita activa and vita contemplative.

GNIEWOMIR HAWRASZ

While completing his placement in Florence in June, Gniewomir travelled to one of the powerhouses of medieval and early modern learning – Bologna. In the collections of the Biblioteca Comunale dell’Archiginnasio, Gniewomir identified a sixteenth-century student notebook coming from a medical faculty in… Padua! Admittedly, this source may prove rewarding for Gniewomir’s work on students of medicine taking instruction in Paduan studio. Following his eclectic scholarly interests in cultural aspects of history, Gniewomir could not miss the chance and not investigate frescos and Academic Theatre in Palazzo Poggi.

In July, our doctoral student shared his recent findings with participants of the Summer School in Comparative Intellectual History run by the University of Tallinn. During his stay in Estonia, Gniewomir received invaluable feedback from the hosting lecturers and other students attending the event. He also attended multiple cultural events that enriched his understanding of the culture and history of the country.

At the beginning of August, our itinerant student went to Cracow and Prague to conduct further research in the archives and libraries. This journey enabled finding new materials that will be included in Gniewomir’s thesis. Towards the end of August, Gniewomir’s intense summer voyages eventually found him in Wrocław, where our student attended the Summer School in Latin (Schola Aestiva Wratislaviensis MMXXII), working on developing his linguistic competencies in the language of Cicero and Catullus.

OVE AVERIN

The summer of Ove was much more static and tranquil. He spent his weeks residing mostly in Estonia and reading about the study of medicine in Academia Gustaviana, predicting weather, and Livonian werewolves. Especially the latter occupied his mind, with one werewolf themed oration from Academia Gustaviana. It mentions a man stuck in bed – like on an island – unable to get out as his steps might break the world that he perceived to be a delicate mechanism made out of glass and surrounded by snakes.

Pictures of Gniewomir’s summer voyages can be found here while more of Ove’s findings will be shared in coming months on our channels.