Summary

Instytut Literacki was established on February 11, 1946 and registered under the name Casa Editrice "Lettere" as the agency of the Polish Second Corps. Later the O.G.I, printing house was bought and a limited liability company was created. The most important function in Casa Editrice "Lettere" was performed by its Director, Jerzy Giedroyc, for whom "the foundation of activity [...] was a belief that the word has a decisive significance." During the Roman period, Casa Editrice "Lettere" performed various functions based on its own printing facilities O.G.I. Books were printed for the needs of the Polish forces in West Europe, government institutions in exile and on its own account. In the last instance 24 books were published. A part of them were printed separately, and others were published in the following series: "the Socio-Political Library", "The Popular Knowledge Library" and The Library of Translations". The first publication was Legiony by Henryk Sienkiewicz, Księgi narodu i pielgrzymstwa polskiego [The Books of the Polish Nation and Polish Pilgrimages] by Adam Mickiewicz with Grudzinski's Preface. There appeared for the first time the Ionian column surrounded by initials IL, well-known from the front covers of the Library of "Kultura". The first issue of "Kultura" was also published in Rome. At the outset it was a quarterly which was soon transformed into a monthly. Its originators were Grudziński and Giedroyc, who edited the first issue and the cover page was designed by Stanisław Gliwa. The magazine contained articles written, among other, by Paul Valéry, Benedetto Croce, Tymon Terlecki, and Andrzej Bobkowski.
Casa Editrice "Lettere" closed its Italian chapter in the autumn of 1947, when its Chief Editor together with Zofia and Zygmunt Hertz decided to move the publishing house to Maisons-Laffitte, near Paris, France.