This article deals with Echo z Polski [ The Echo from Poland] (the title was subsequently altered to Echo Polskie), the first Polish-language newspaper in the United States, published in 1893–1865 in New York. While at first its pages were predominantly filled with news from Poland, it gradually broadened its coverage in an effort to become the leading paper of the Polish- American community.

The article examines Leopold Tyrmand's attitude towards the Poles and Polishness on the basis of, primarily, his journalism, interviews and correspondence. It picks up a broad range of themes, among them, the reasons of Tyrmand's leaving Poland in 1965, his relations with other exiles and expatriates, in particular the Polish community in the United States, his opinions on the virtues and vices of the Polish national character, his attitude towards the Polish language, his decision to write in English and his search for national identity. The article argues that Tyrmand's views on Poland and things Polish kept changing and this evolution was closely connected with various phases of his life. While acknowledging the heterogeneity of Tyrmand's sense of identity, the conclusion notes that the dominant element of his self-awareness was a sense of belonging to the Polish nation.