Long time

[Xinfu]

That famous Polish writer who wrote in English says:

-It __ not a long time ago.

He uses is, not was; is it correct and good English?

[Rusty]

Both are valid, but not interchangeable (they wouldn't both be used in the same situation).
The writer either used 'is' when it is appropriate to do so, or he didn't choose the correct tense for the situation. I don't know the context (the situation), so can't say if the tense he chose was correct.

[Xinfu]

Both are valid, but not interchangeable (they wouldn't both be used in the same situation).
The writer either used 'is' when it is appropriate to do so, or he didn't choose the correct tense for the situation. I don't know the context (the situation), so can't say if the tense he chose was correct.

Thank you. How about this:

[...] (=he talks about a past thing). It _ not a long time ago...

[MWoll]

Without more context, "It was..." is going to be a better choice in almost any situation.

[Xinfu]

Excellent answer. Thank you.