The Sun Shines On Polish Community
England’s biggest selling newspaper, The Sun, launched its very own Polish version this June, chiming in with the Euro 2008 Cup. Polski Sun hit the streets on June 7th, and six editions have been issued to date.
Krakow Post managed to pick up a copy of the June 9th edition, which ran with the headline “Agonia i Ekstaza,” reflecting a bittersweet weekend in the world of sport. Krakow ace Robert Kubica had just scooped victory in Formula 1, yet Poland’s football team had got off to a sorry start in the Euro 2008 Cup.
Generally speaking, the Polish incarnation of Britain’s best-loved “daily rag” continues in much the same spirit as its Anglo-Saxon dad. Stalwarts of the Brit version, including agony aunt Deirdre and astrologer Mystic Meg, have been replicated word for word in Polish translation. Likewise, car fanatic and all-round chatterbox Jeremy Clarkson – curiously a huge hit in Poland – gets a second crack of the whip po polsku. Polish journalists flesh out the rest of the paper, with a light mix of Polish and British news, and a jumbo dollop of celebrity gossip.
Naturally, The Sun simply wouldn’t be The Sun without its legendary “page three girl.” And “na trojce,” we are introduced to blonde beauty Kamila from Poznan, who, besides baring all of god’s gifts, “promises to keep fingers crossed for our footballers.” The page three girl is indeed something of a national institution in England. Back in the early 70s, The Sun stole the thunder of rival The Daily Mirror by printing fully topless models, dispensing with the pretence of running lingerie or swimwear fashion features.
The first six editions of Polski Sun were printed as an experiment, with the aim of hooking some of the 600,000 strong Polish community in the UK. 68,000 copies of each edition were distributed across 3,000 outlets. The decision is still pending on whether to revive the paper on a more permanent basis, and it remains to be seen whether the tabloid disappears along with Poland’s Euro Cup hopes. However, the lovely Kamila from Poznan (and no doubt her fanbase too) says that “she has high hopes of appearing in Polski Sun again one day.”