Stanisław Pigoń
Stanisław Pigoń was a literary historian, rector of the Vilnius University from 1927 until 1928.
Biography
He came from a peasant family, the son of Jan Pigoń and Katarzyna née Rymarz. From 1898 until 1906 he attended gymnasium in Jasło. In 1911 he obtained doctorate at the Jagiellonian University upon dissertation O «Księgach narodu i pielgrzymstwa polskiego» Adama Mickiewicza supervised by Ignacy Chrzanowski.In his research, he focused on the literature of the Romantic period and Young Poland, as well as folk culture; in parallel, he undertook editorial work, in later years directing critical editions of works by, among others, Mickiewicz, Stefan Żeromski, Aleksander Fredro, and Władysław Orkan.
In 1929 he was elected a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. After the outbreak of World War II and Nazi invasion of Poland, on 6 November 1939, he was imprisoned along with other Jagiellonian University professors by the Gestapo and deported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He was released in February 1940.
At the Jagiellonian University he headed the Department of the History of Polish Literature from 1945 until 1953, and in the years 1953–1960 he headed the Department of Old Polish Literature. In the years 1945–1950 and 1958–1960 he was the chairman of the Adam Mickiewicz Literary Society in Kraków. From 1945 to 1949, he co-directed the Institute of Folk Literature with Józef Spytkowski. In 1951, he was elected a full member of the Warsaw Scientific Society, and in 1952, a titular member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. From 1953 he was a member of the Program Council of Wydawnictwo Literackie in Kraków.
In 1964 he signed Letter of 34. He was the father of and. His remainings were buried at the Salwator Cemetery.
Books
*Accolades
- Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta "on the 10th anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland for outstanding achievements in the field of science."
- State Award of the 1st degree for his scientific activity
- Order of the Banner of Labour, 1st class "for his services in preparing the National Edition of the works of Adam Mickiewicz."
- Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Prize
- Honorary degree of the University of Chicago