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Slavic Studies Professor Wins Book Award

Beth Holmgren, chair of Duke's Slavic and Eurasian Studies Department, has been honored for examination of Helena Modjeska.

Beth Holmgren, chair of Duke's Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, has received the Kulczycki Book Prize for Polish Studies.

The prize is given for the best book in any discipline on any aspect of Polish affairs. Holmgren was honored for her 2011 book "Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour in Poland and America." It was a deep examination of Helena Modjeska, a 19th-Century Polish stage actress who overcame humble beginnings to make it big in Europe and the United States. Modjeska was so popular in the United States that her name can still be found all across small-town America. A candy is even named for her.

Holmgren will receive the award next month in Boston at the annual convention of the Association of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies.