Leszek Soliński & Miron Białoszewski

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Miron Białoszewski (June 30, 1922 – June 17, 1983), born in Warsaw, Poland, was a Polish poet, novelist, playwright and actor.

According to Joanna Nizynska from University of California in Los Angeles:

This most "private" author of postwar Polish literature disregards discourses of history so deeply embedded in the Polish literary tradition; rather he focuses on the mundane aspects of the everyday life, usually from an autobiographical perspective and using an overtly colloquial language. Although Białoszewski's works have stirred many discussions, most of these have focused on his treatment of genres and language...

Białoszewski studied linguistics at the clandestine courses of the University of Warsaw during German occupation of Poland. Following the capitulation of the Warsaw Uprising he was sent to a labour camp in Third Reich, and returned to Warsaw at the end of World War II. (Picture: Leszek Soliński)

First, he worked at the central post office, and then as a journalist for a number of popular magazines, some of them for children. In 1955 Białoszewski took part in the foundation of a small theatre called Teatr na Tarczyńskiej, where he premiered his plays Wiwisekcja and Osmędeusze, and played in them with Ludmiła Murawska. In the same year Białoszewski debuted in Życie literackie along with another renown Polish poet and his contemporary, Zbigniew Herbert. For many years, since 1958, Białoszewski shared an apartment at pl. Dąbrowskiego 7 with his live-in partner, the painter Leszek Soliński (October 1, 1926 - June 5, 2005), who was the heir to Białoszewski's estate.


Miron Białoszewski (June 30, 1922 – June 17, 1983), born in Warsaw, Poland, was a Polish poet, novelist, playwright and actor. Since 1958, Białoszewski shared an apartment at pl. Dąbrowskiego 7 with his live-in partner, the painter Leszek Soliński (October 1, 1926 - June 5, 2005), who was the heir to Białoszewski's estate. His highly acclaimed memoir was published in 1970. In it, Białoszewski gave a philosophical account of his wartime experiences 27 years after the fact.

His highly acclaimed memoir, Pamiętnik z powstania warszawskiego was published in 1970. In it, Białoszewski gave a philosophical account of his wartime experiences 27 years after the fact. He died of a heart attack on June 17, 1983.

Works

The number given between square brackets after each book title and year of publication refers to the volume of Białoszewski's Collected Works (Utwory zebrane, Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy 1987 - ) in which the texts published originally in these books have been reprinted.

Poetry
Obroty rzeczy (1956) [1]
Rachunek zachciankowy (1959) [1]
Mylne wzruszenia (1961) [1]
Było i było (1965) [1]
Wiersze (1976) [7]
Poezje wybrane (1976) [7]
Miron Białoszewski [in the series Poeci Polscy ] (1977) [7]
Odczepić się (1978) [7]
Wiersze wybrane i dobrane (1980) [7]
Trzydzieści lat wierszy (1982) [7]
Oho (1985) [10]

Poetry and Prose
Teatr Osobny (1973) [2]
Rozkurz (1980) [8]
Stara proza i nowe wiersze (1984) [9, 10]
Obmapywanie Europy. Aaameryka. Ostatnie wiersze (1988 – posthumously) [9, 10]

Prose
Pamiętnik z powstania warszawskiego (1970) [3]
English translation by Madeline Levine: A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising (1977, 1991)
Donosy rzeczywistości (1973) [4]
Szumy, zlepy, ciągi (1976) [5]
Zawał (1977) [6]
Przepowiadanie sobie (1981) [9]
Konstancin (1991 – posthumusly) [9]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miron_Bia%C5%82oszewski

Further Readings:

A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising by Miron Bialoszewski, translated by Madeline Levine
Paperback: 234 pages
Publisher: Northwestern Univ Pr (December 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0810110261
ISBN-13: 978-0810110267
Amazon: A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising

This was originally written in Polish in 1970. Owing to the fact that the author uses somewhat unorganized narrative, the reader of this book may find it difficult to follow it. There is, however, a helpful glossary (pp. 233-234) of Polish-related allusions.

Bialoszewski commonly compares the carnage of the Uprising with that of the original German siege of Warsaw in September 1939. For instance: "When on one day--the 23rd, I think--18,000 shells fell on Warsaw. September 25--that was the decisive day--from morning to night, for twelve hours, Warsaw was bombarded." (p. 80).

In common with many authors describing the Warsaw Uprising, Bialoszewski elaborates on the deadly weapons which the Germans had--and against which the Poles had no defense. This includes the Nebelwerfer ("roaring cow", "bellowing cow", "wardrobe", etc.). He comments: "I saw apartment houses which had been uprooted by the `cows', narrow ones, but sometimes four stories high." (pp. 164-165). There were also the giant German artillery pieces: "The `berthas' were the worst. They were, as far as I can remember, three-quarter ton bombs. Three quarters of a ton isn't too bad. Only it was three quarters of a ton of bomb, and straight from the sky, at a slant. I think that was the decisive factor...I'm talking only about the toll among the cellars." (p. 165)

Bialoszewski also discusses the evacuation of Warsaw following the capitulation of the Uprising on October 2, 1944. There was astonishment that so many civilians were still alive.

In 1946, after the Uprising and the war itself, Bialoszewski personally observed the cremated remains of tens of thousands of Polish civilians who had been murdered by the Germans and their collaborators at Wola (p. 35) (Review by Jan Peczkis)

More Real Life Romances at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance