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Section 1-2	Grew up in a farming family in Scinawka Dolna (in the Klodzko Valley). Remembers the village in a “rather negative” light: slightly “neglected” and densely developed. Studied at the Academy of Agriculture; then worked on state-owned farms, and then as a researcher in the Academy. Explains the factors that influenced his decision to leave Wroclaw and move to Nowy Gieraltów, in particular the “space, landscape and practical conditions” and his desire to live in the mountains.
Section 3	Recalls the locals’ initial suspicion of him. With time, he became integrated into the community, although he never intended to become “an equal member of it” because “our values and intellectual status are and will always be different from original country people”. Notes the “traditionalism” of village people, and their tendency to be stubborn.
Section 4	Believes his early life and membership of the “academic circle enriched me to a big extent … [and] those cultural events shaped my intellectual views”. He no longer finds it necessary to lead a rich cultural life, though books still form his “intellectual base”. Thinks it probably took him about 10 years to settle in and be accepted: “In’88 I was elected the village administrator. If I had stood for the election earlier, I certainly wouldn’t have been elected.” Notes how neglected the village was when he arrived.
Section 5	The area is improving steadily, because the “younger generation is more demanding than their elders”. Family life and values. Believes the move gave him self-confidence and a clear identity, although he wishes that he had done more than keep a farm: “I accuse myself of the lack of imagination”.
Section 6	His love for the mountains is based upon “simply esthetical reasons”. He does not “mystify” them, but regards them as his “partner and my opponent”.