Jerzy Broszkiewicz


Jerzy Broszkiewicz was a Polish prose writer, playwright, essayist, and publicist. He is best known for his dramas and young-adult literature. The young-adult literature usually took the form of historical or science-fiction novels. The dramas were performed in Poland and abroad, and his works were translated into at least 20 languages, with total print runs exceeding a million copies.
He wrote plays for theatre, radio, and television, as well as screenplays, essays, and critical writings on music and culture. His most acclaimed works include Kształt miłości, a novelized biography of Frédéric Chopin, and Wielka, większa i największa, a widely-read youth novel that was adapted into a feature film and was included in Polish school curricula during the People's Republic period. He was active in editorial work for the cultural periodicals ' and '. He received multiple state awards and honors, including the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

Life

He was born on 6 June 1922 in Lwów in the Second Polish Republic ; his father, Adam, was an officer in the Polish Armed Forces. From 1934, he was a student at the in Lviv. In 1940, after finishing the Gymnasium and music school, he entered the Lviv National Music Academy. During the German occupation of Lviv from 1941 to 1944, he participated in underground cultural activities such as literary evenings and concerts, and was a louse-feeder at the Lviv Institute for Typhus and Virus Research under Professor Rudolf Weigl.
In 1944, he married Ewa Łomnicka and moved to Kraków, where he lived in the famous at 22 Krupnicza Street. For some time, he studied at the Academy of Music, described by and as a "promising pianist", but he discontinued his studies in 1945. From that year, he was a member of the Polish Writers' Union. From 1945 to 1947, he collaborated with the editorial office of the weekly ' and the journal '. He also worked with the newspapers ' and Dziennik Polski. From 1947 to 1949, he co-edited the magazine ', and from 1948 to 1951, he was an editor for the monthly '.
In 1948, he moved to Warsaw. From 1950 to 1951, he hosted a weekly cultural program on the radio and later was a writer for radio plays. From 1950 to 1963, he published in ' and . From 1953 to 1954, he edited the artistic-literary supplement in Sztandar Młodych called Przedpole. In 1953, he joined the Polish United Workers' Party, and in the same year, he became a member of the editorial board of Przegląd Kulturalny, where he was a co-editor until 1963. From 1955 to 1956, he was the artistic director of the Estrada Theatre. In 1959, he returned to Kraków taking a job as a literary manager of the Ludowy Theatre in Nowa Huta until 1971. In 1960, he wrote for Gazeta Krakówska. In 1975, he became a member of the Kraków Polish United Workers' Party Committee and a member of the presidium of the Kraków club.

Private life

Broszkiewicz lived in Kraków's Krowodrza district. He was married to psychiatrist Ewa Broszkiewicz, daughter of mathematician Antoni Łomnicki. They had a daughter, Irena Broszkiewicz, a mathematician associated with, director of the literary cabaret Piwnica pod Baranami. Irena was her father's inspiration for the character Ika in the novel Wielka, większa i największa.
Broszkiewicz suffered from schizophrenia. He died on 4 October 1993 in Kraków and is interred in the aleja zasłuźonych at the Rakowicki Cemetery.

Literary work

His literary work was diverse, and Frycie described Broszkiewicz as "an exceptionally talented and versatile writer". In 1945, he made his debut simultaneously as a music critic and as a writer with the short story Monika, published in the weekly Odrodzenie. His book debut was the novel Oczekiwanie set in the ghetto, for which he received the Kraków Land Award.
Another significant work was the repeatedly reissued novel Kształt miłości about Frédéric Chopin, for which he received the State Award of the 2nd degree in 1951. In 1971, the novel Długo i szczęśliwie won the Association of Trade Unions Award. was distinguished at the IV Premio Europeo in 1968.
He authored 14 novels for young readers, debuting with Opowieść olimpijska in 1948, although most of his novels for younger audiences were written in the 1960s and 1970s. 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. In particular, Wielka, większa i największa from 1960 received high praise from critics and became a compulsory reading book for fifth grade. 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".
Moreover, he wrote well-received dramas, being a multiple winner of drama competitions. He penned over 20 theatrical, television, and radio plays. He also wrote collections of essays, television and film scripts, and publications on music. Some of his plays were produced abroad, including in France, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, New Zealand, and the US. Broszkiewicz's works have been translated into at least 20 languages, and the total print run of his novels exceeded 1 million copies.
Broszkiewicz also helped in writing the debut novels of Sat-Okh: Ziemia słonych skał and Biały mustang. According to, Broszkiewicz was even their actual undisclosed author based on Sat-Okh's stories.

Selected works

Young adult novels

Opowieść olimpijska – 1948Opowieść o Chopinie – 1950; adaptation of Kształt miłości Jacek Kula – 1952Powrót do jasnej polany – 1953Emil! Emil! – 1954Wielka, większa i największa – Nasza Księgarnia, 1960; reading for fifth grade during the Polish People's Republic era; based on which a feature film was madeCi z Dziesiątego Tysiąca – Nasza Księgarnia, 1962; science fictionOko Centaura – Nasza Księgarnia, 1964; science fiction; sequel to Those from the Tenth Thousand' – Nasza Księgarnia, 1966; sequel to Great, Greater, and Greatest; published in the ' collection' – Nasza Księgarnia, 1967
  • ' – science fiction; Nasza Księgarnia, 1970, in the ' series and Nasza Księgarnia, 1976, in the Biblioteka Młodych collection
  • ' – Nasza Księgarnia, 1972Samotny podróżny – 1973; provided the basis for the series Kopernik with Andrzej Kopiczyński; 19 February 1973 marked the 500th anniversary of the astronomer's birthBracia Koszmarek, magister i ja – 1980

Other novels

Oczekiwanie – 1948Kształt miłości – Part I, 1950, Part II, 1951; based on which the feature film Youth of Chopin was madeImiona władzy – 1957Długo i szczęśliwie – 1970Dziesięć rozdziałów – 1971–1974Doktor Twardowski – 1977–1979

Dramas

Imiona władzy – 1957Jonasz i błazen – 1958Dwie przygody Lemuela Gulliwera Dziejowa rola Pigwy – 1960Skandal w Hellbergu – 1961Głupiec i inni
  • ''Koniec księgi VI''

Non-fiction

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Orders and decorations

Awards

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