Jerzy Broszkiewicz

Jerzy Broszkiewicz
Photograph from c. 1948
Born(1922-06-06)June 6, 1922
Lviv
DiedOctober 4, 1993(1993-10-04) (aged 71)
Kraków
NationalityPolish
Known fornovels, dramas, science fiction
Notable workWielka, większa i największa
Ci z Dziesiątego Tysiąca
AwardsOrder of Polonia Restituta
Warsaw Uprising Cross
Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland
Order of the Smile

Jerzy Broszkiewicz (June 6, 1922 – October 4, 1993)[1] was a Polish prose writer, playwright, essayist and publicist. He is best known for his dramas as well as young adult literature; the latter usually took forms of historical or science fiction novels.[2]

Biography

He was born on 6 June 1922 in Lviv; his father, Adam, was an officer in the Polish Armed Forces.[2][3] From 1934, he was a student at the Jan Długosz Gymnasium [pl] in Lviv.[2] In 1940, after finishing secondary school and music school, he entered the Lviv National Music Academy.[2][3] During the German occupation of Lviv (from 1941 to 1944), he participated in underground cultural activities (literary evenings, concerts);[2] he was also a louse-feeder at the Lviv Institute for Typhus and Virus Research under Professor Rudolf Weigl.[4][5]

In 1944, he married Ewa Łomnicka and moved to Kraków,[2][5] where he lived in the famous Literary House [pl] at 22 Krupnicza Street.[3][5] For some time, he studied at the Academy of Music but discontinued his studies in 1945[2] (although Stanisław Frycie [pl] and Tadeusz Kwiatkowski [pl] described him as a “promising pianist”).[5][6] From that year, he was a member of the Polish Writers' Union (from 1957 to 1958, he was vice-president of the main board; from 1973, he was a member of the Kraków branch board of the union, and in 1975, its vice-president).[2] From 1945 to 1947, he collaborated with the editorial office of the weekly Odrodzenie [pl] (including as a proofreader and theater critic) and the journal Teatr [pl]. He also worked with the newspapers Nowiny [pl] and Dziennik Polski (from 1945 to 1946).[2][3][7] From 1947 to 1949, he co-edited the magazine Ruch Muzyczny [pl], and later, from 1948 to 1951, he was an editor for the monthly Muzyka [pl].[2][3][7]

In 1948, he moved to Warsaw.[2] From 1950 to 1951, he hosted a weekly cultural program on the radio and later was a writer for radio plays.[2] From 1950 to 1963, he published in Nowa Kultura [pl] and Przegląd Kulturalny [pl] (where he was a member of the editorial board from 1953).[2] From 1953 to 1954, he edited the artistic-literary supplement in Sztandar Młodych called Przedpole.[2][6] In 1953, he joined the Polish United Workers' Party,[8] and in the same year, he became a member of the editorial board of Przegląd Kulturalny, where he was a co-editor until 1963.[3] From 1955 to 1956, he was the artistic director of the Estrada Theatre.[5] In 1959, he returned to Kraków; from that year until 1971, he was the literary manager of the Ludowy Theatre in Nowa Huta.[2][3] In 1960, he wrote for Gazeta Krakówska.[2] In 1975, he became a member of the Kraków Polish United Workers' Party Committee and a member of the presidium of the Kraków club Kużnica.[2][6]

Private life

His wife, Ewa (née Łomnicka), was a doctor in psychiatry and the daughter of the renowned mathematician Antoni Łomnicki. They had one daughter, Irena (1954–2021), the prototype for Iki from the novel Wielka, większa i największa (The Great, Greater, and Greatest), a doctor of mathematics and artist from Piwnica pod Baranami.[5]

Grave of Jerzy Broszkiewicz at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków

He suffered from schizophrenia.[2] He died on 4 October 1993 in Kraków.[2][3] He was buried in the Alley of Merit at the Rakowicki Cemetery (section LXIX, row B-2-2).[9]

Career

His literary work was diverse.[3] He made his debut in 1945 as a music critic[3][10] and simultaneously as a writer with the short story Monika, published in the weekly Odrodzenie (No. 18).[2][8] His book debut was the novel Oczekiwanie (Expectation), set in the ghetto,[3] for which he received the Kraków Land Award.[2]

Another significant work was the repeatedly reissued novel Kształt miłości (The Shape of Love) about Frédéric Chopin,[3] for which he received the State Award of the 2nd degree in 1951. In 1971, the novel Długo i szczęśliwie (Happily Ever After) won the Association of Trade Unions Award.[2] Kluska, Kefir i Tutejszy [pl] (Dumpling, Kefir, and the Local) was distinguished at the IV Premio Europeo in 1968.[3]

He authored 14 novels for young readers, debuting with Opowieść olimpijska (Olympic Tale) in 1948, although most of his novels for younger audiences were written in the 1960s and 1970s.[3] His earlier works in this genre were often biographical. Many of his later works belong to the science fiction genre, which Frycie considered the most significant part of his oeuvre.[6] Notably, Wielka, większa i największa (The Great, Greater, and Greatest) from 1960 received high praise from critics[11] and became a compulsory reading book for fifth grade.[12][13] According to Frycie, in his works for young adults, Broszkiewicz exposed moral values such as resourcefulness, wisdom, nobility, and courage, and combined various narrative techniques, genres, and literary conventions.[6]

In addition to this, he also wrote well-received dramas, being a multiple winner of drama competitions.[10] He penned over 20 theatrical, television, and radio plays.[5] He also wrote collections of essays,[5] television[14] and film scripts[5] (e.g., Kopernik [Copernicus]), and publications on music.[5] Some of his plays were produced abroad, including in France, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, New Zealand, and the US.[5] Broszkiewicz's works have been translated into at least 20 languages, and the total print run of his novels exceeded 1 million copies.[5]

Frycie described Broszkiewicz as an exceptionally talented and versatile writer.[6]

Broszkiewicz also helped in writing the debut novels of Sat-Okh: Ziemia słonych skał (Land of Salty Rocks, 1958) and Biały mustang (White Mustang, 1959). According to Dariusz Rosiak [pl], Broszkiewicz was even their actual undisclosed author based on Sat-Okh's stories.[15]

Young adult novels

  • Opowieść olimpijska (The Olympic Tale) – 1948
  • Opowieść o Chopinie (The Tale of Chopin) – 1950; adaptation of Kształt miłości (Shape of Love)
  • Jacek Kula – 1952
  • Powrót do jasnej polany (Return to the Sunny Meadow) – 1953
  • Emil! Emil! – 1954
  • Wielka, większa i największa (The Great, Greater, and Greatest) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1960; reading for fifth grade during the Polish People's Republic era; based on which a feature film was made
  • Ci z Dziesiątego Tysiąca (Those from the Tenth Thousand) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1962; science fiction
  • Oko Centaura (The Eye of the Centaur) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1964; science fiction; sequel to Those from the Tenth Thousand
  • Długi deszczowy tydzień [pl] (A Long Rainy Week) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1966; sequel to Great, Greater, and Greatest; published in the Biblioteka Młodych [pl] (Young Readers' Library) collection
  • Kluska, Kefir i Tutejszy [pl] (Dumpling, Kefir, and the Local) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1967
  • Mój księżycowy pech [pl] (My Lunar Misfortune) – science fiction; Nasza Księgarnia, 1970, in the Klub Siedmiu Przygód [pl] (Seven Adventures Club) series and Nasza Księgarnia, 1976, in the Biblioteka Młodych collection
  • Mister Di [pl] – Nasza Księgarnia, 1972
  • Samotny podróżny (The Lonely Traveler) – 1973; provided the basis for the series Kopernik (Copernicus) with Andrzej Kopiczyński; 19 February 1973 marked the 500th anniversary of the astronomer's birth
  • Bracia Koszmarek, magister i ja (The Koszmarek Brothers, the Master, and I) – 1980

Other novels

  • Oczekiwanie (Expectation) – 1948
  • Kształt miłości (The Shape of Love) – Part I, 1950, Part II, 1951; based on which the feature film Youth of Chopin was made[6][10]
  • Imiona władzy (Names of Power) – 1957
  • Długo i szczęśliwie (Happily Ever After) – 1970
  • Dziesięć rozdziałów (Ten Chapters) – 1971–1974
  • Doktor Twardowski (Doctor Twardowski) – 1977–1979

Dramas

  • Imiona władzy (Names of Power) – 1957
  • Jonasz i błazen (Jonah and the Jester) – 1958
  • Dwie przygody Lemuela Gulliwera (Two Adventures of Lemuel Gulliver)
  • Dziejowa rola Pigwy (The Historical Role of Pigwa) – 1960
  • Skandal w Hellbergu (Scandal in Hellberg) – 1961
  • Głupiec i inni (The Fool and Others)
  • Koniec księgi VI (The End of Book VI)

Publications

  • Pożegnanie z katechizmem [Farewell to the Catechism] (in Polish). Vol. III. Warsaw: Iskry. 1958.

Private life

He lived in the Krowodrza district of Kraków. He was married to Dr. Ewa (1920–2000), daughter of Antoni Łomnicki, who was a psychiatrist.[16] They had a daughter, Irena Broszkiewicz (1954–2021), a mathematician associated with Piotr Ferster [pl], the director of Piwnica pod Baranami.[5]

Orders and decorations

Awards

  • 1948 – Kraków Land Award – for the novel Oczekiwanie[10]
  • 1951 – State Award Badge [pl], Second Class[3] in the field of Literature and Art – for the novel Kształt miłości[10]
  • 1960 – Artistic Award of Nowa Huta – for promoting culture[2] and overall dramaturgical activity[10]
  • 1961 – Minister of National Education Award in Kraków[2]
  • 1961 – Second Prize in the Kraków City Dramatic Competition – for the play Skandal w Hellbergu[5]
  • 1962 – Second Prize in the National Council Dramatic Competition in Bydgoszcz – for the play Niepokój przed podróżą (Unease Before the Journey)[5]
  • 1964 – First Prize in the Competition for Contemporary Television Drama – for the play Ta wieś, Mogiła (That Village, Grave)[5]
  • 1965 – Golden Screen Award for 1964 – for the play Ta wieś, Mogiła[5]
  • 1968 – Città di Caorle Award – for the young adult book Kluska, Kefir i Tutejszy[5]
  • 1971 – Association of Trade Unions Award – for the novel Długo i szczęśliwie[5]
  • 1974 – Prime Minister’s Award – for work for children and youth[3][5][10]
  • 1979 – Prime Minister's First-Class Award[3] for work for children and youth[6] in the field of literature on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Polish People's Republic – for overall literary output[5]
  • 1982 – State First-Class Award for overall literary output[5]
  • 1984 – Kraków City Award[2]

References

  1. ^ Oramus, Marek (1993). "Jerzy Broszkiewicz". Nowa Fantastyka (in Polish). 12 (135): 75. ISSN 0867-132X.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Jadwiga Czachowska, ed. (2003). "Współcześni polscy pisarze i badacze literatury. Słownik biobibliograficzny. T. 1, A – B" [Contemporary Polish Writers and Literary Scholars: A Biobibliographical Dictionary. Vol. 1, A – B] (in Polish). Alicja Szałagan (red.). p. 289. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Brzeska-Smerek, Teresa (2002). "Broszkiewicz, Jerzy". In Baluch, Alicja; Leszczyński, Grzegorz; Tylicka, Barbara (eds.). Słownik literatury dziecięcej i młodzieżowej [Dictionary of Children's and Young Adult Literature] (in Polish). Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolinskich. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-83-04-04606-1.
  4. ^ "Alphabetical list of 507 persons employed in Prof. Rudolf Stefan Weigl Institute (1939 – 1944) and professions of some of them after WWII". www.lwow.com.pl (in English and Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Jerzy Broszkiewicz | Życie i twórczość | Artysta" [Jerzy Broszkiewicz | Life and Work | Artist]. Culture.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Frycie, Stanisław (2007). Leksykon literatury dla dzieci i młodzieży [Lexicon of Children's and Young Adult Literature] (in Polish). Naukowe Wydawnictwo Piotrkowskie. pp. 85–88. ISBN 978-83-89935-24-3.
  7. ^ a b Chmielewska, Małgorzata (2008). "Broszkiewicz Jerzy Stefan". Leksykon polskich pisarzy muzycznych XX wieku [Lexicon of 20th-Century Polish Music Writers] (in Polish). Wołomin: Wydawnictwo Polskie. ISBN 978-83-922684-2-0.
  8. ^ a b c Becela, Lidia, ed. (1984). Kto jest kim w Polsce 1984: informator biograficzny [Who’s Who in Poland 1984: Biographical Directory] (in Polish) (1 ed.). Warsaw: Interpress. ISBN 978-83-223-2073-0.
  9. ^ "Lokalizator Grobów - Zarząd Cmentarzy Komunalnych" [Grave Locator - Municipal Cemetery Management]. zck-krakow.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Frycie, Stanisław (1979). "Broszkiewicz, Jerzy". In Kuliczkowska, Krystyna; Tylicka, Barbara (eds.). Nowy słownik literatury dla dzieci i młodzieży: pisarze, książki, serie, ilustratorzy, przegląd bibliograficzny [New Dictionary of Children's and Young Adult Literature: Writers, Books, Series, Illustrators, Bibliographic Review] (in Polish). Wiedza Powszechna. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-83-214-0018-1.
  11. ^ Kuliczkowska, Krystyna (1967). "W świecie fantazji, marzeń i iluzji" [In the World of Fantasy, Dreams, and Illusions]. Miesięcznik Literacki (in Polish). 12.
  12. ^ Leszczyński, Grzegorz (2002). "Wielka, większa i największa" [The Great, Greater, and the Greatest]. In Baluch, Alicja; Leszczyński, Grzegorz; Tylicka, Barbara (eds.). Słownik literatury dziecięcej i młodzieżowej [Dictionary of Children's and Young Adult Literature] (in Polish). Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolinskich. pp. 412–413. ISBN 978-83-04-04606-1.
  13. ^ Jędrych, Karolina (2014). Lektury w programach dla szkoły podstawowej z lat 1949–1989 [Reading Lists in Primary School Programs from 1949–1989] (in Polish). Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego. p. 217. ISBN 978-83-226-2209-4.
  14. ^ "Jerzy Broszkiewicz". FilmPolski (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  15. ^ Podsiadło, Jacek (27 August 2024). "Polski Indianin Sat-Okh. Nie ma drugiej takiej ściemy" [The Polish Native American Sat-Okh. There’s No Other Hoax Like It]. wyborcza.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  16. ^ "Dr hab. Ewa Broszkiewicz". nauka-polska.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  17. ^ "M.P. z 1955 r. nr 91, poz. 1144" [Journal of Laws of 1955, No. 91, item 1144]. isap.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  18. ^ "Jerzy Broszkiewicz". nekrologi.wyborcza.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  19. ^ "Uznanie dla twórców kultury" [Recognition for Cultural Creators]. Trybuna Robotnicza (in Polish) (170): 1–2. 19 July 1984.
  20. ^ "M.P. z 1955 r. nr 101, poz. 1400" [Official Journal of the Polish People's Republic from 1955, No. 101, Item 1400]. isap.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish). 19 January 1955. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  21. ^ "Broszkiewicz Jerzy". www.orderusmiechu.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-09.

Further reading