Generation of Columbuses
Encyclopedia
The Generation of Columbuses is a term denoting the entire generation of Poles born soon after Poland regained her independence in 1918, and whose adolescence has been marked by the tragic times of the World War II
. The term itself was coined by Roman Bratny in his well-received 1957 novel Kolumbowie. Rocznik 20 and was itself based on the name of Christopher Columbus
, as Bratny described the entire generation as the ones who discovered Poland. The term is generally applied to young intelligentsia
, but it also includes all young people who, instead of living their lives the way most 20-year-old people do, had to fight against the foreign occupation
and study at secret universities
.
Among the notable people commonly associated with the generation are:
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The term itself was coined by Roman Bratny in his well-received 1957 novel Kolumbowie. Rocznik 20 and was itself based on the name of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, as Bratny described the entire generation as the ones who discovered Poland. The term is generally applied to young intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
, but it also includes all young people who, instead of living their lives the way most 20-year-old people do, had to fight against the foreign occupation
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
and study at secret universities
Education in Poland during World War II
This article covers the topic of underground education in Poland during World War II. Secret learning prepared new cadres for the post-war reconstruction of Poland and countered the German and Soviet threat to exterminate the Polish culture....
.
Among the notable people commonly associated with the generation are:
- Krzysztof Kamil BaczyńskiKrzysztof Kamil BaczynskiKrzysztof Kamil Baczyński, was a Polish poet and Home Army soldier, one of the most renowned authors of the Generation of Columbuses, the young generation of Polish poets of whom many perished in the Warsaw Uprising.-Biography:...
, a cathastrophistCatastrophismCatastrophism is the theory that the Earth has been affected in the past by sudden, short-lived, violent events, possibly worldwide in scope. The dominant paradigm of modern geology is uniformitarianism , in which slow incremental changes, such as erosion, create the Earth's appearance...
poet who was killed in the Warsaw UprisingWarsaw UprisingThe Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces... - Władysław Bartoszewski,
- Miron Białoszewski, a poet and a writer
- Teresa BogusławskaTeresa BogusławskaTeresa Bogusławska was a Polish poet and a participant in the Warsaw Uprising. In 1941 she joined the resistance movement. In February 1944 was arrested by the Gestapo, imprisoned in the Pawiak prison and tortured during questioning. She was freed in March suffering from tuberculosis. Her health...
, a poet, arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in the PawiakPawiakPawiak was a prison built in 1835 in Warsaw, Poland.During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia....
, she died of tuberculosis in 1945 - Wacław BojarskiWacław BojarskiWacław Bojarski, pseudonym "Czarnota" was Polish poet belonging to the Generation of Columbuses and the Konfederacja Narodu underground organization. During the Second World War he studied in the Warsaw underground university. He was the editor in chief of the monthly magazine Sztuka i Naród...
, a wartime poet and journalist of underground newspapers, died 1943 - Tadeusz BorowskiTadeusz BorowskiTadeusz Borowski was a Polish writer and journalist. His wartime poetry and stories dealing with his experiences as a prisoner at Auschwitz are recognized as classics of Polish literature and had much influence in Central European society.- Early life :...
, a poet and writer who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Dachau concentration camp only to commit suicide in 1951 - Roman Bratny, writer
- Olgierd Budrewicz, journalist and VarsavianistWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
- Jerzy FicowskiJerzy FicowskiJerzy Ficowski was a Polish poet, writer and translator .- Biography and works :During the German occupation of Poland in World War II, Ficowski who lived in Włochy near Warsaw was a member of the Polish resistance...
, poet, journalist and ethnologist, pioneer of research on post-war Jewish and Gypsy life in Poland - Tadeusz GajcyTadeusz GajcyTadeusz Stefan Gajcy was a Polish poet and Armia Krajowa soldier.He co-founded and edited the bibuła literary magazine, Sztuka i Naród...
, a poet, killed in the Warsaw Uprising - Stanisław Grzesiuk,
- Zbigniew HerbertZbigniew HerbertZbigniew Herbert was an influential Polish poet, essayist, drama writer, author of plays, and moralist. A member of the Polish resistance movement – Home Army during World War II, he is one of the best known and the most translated post-war Polish writers...
, - Gustaw Herling-GrudzińskiGustaw Herling-GrudzinskiGustaw Herling-Grudziński was a Polish writer, journalist, essayist and soldier. He is best known for writing a personal account of life in the Soviet gulag - A World Apart.-Biography:...
- Krystyna KrahelskaKrystyna KrahelskaKrystyna Krahelska "Danuta" - was a Polish poet, ethnographer, member of the Home Army, and a participant in the Warsaw Uprising....
, a girl-guide, poet and singer, model for the monument of the Warsaw's SirenCoat of arms of WarsawThe Coat of Arms of Warsaw consists of a syrenka in a red field. Polish syrenka is cognate with siren, but she is more properly a fresh-water mermaid called “Melusina.” This imagery has been in use since at least the mid-14th century...
, killed in the Warsaw Uprising - Stanisław Lem,
- Wojciech Mencel, a poet, killed in the Warsaw Uprising
- Włodzimierz Pietrzak, an art critic and author, killed in the Warsaw Uprising
- Jan RomockiJan RomockiJan Romocki codename: Bonawentura was a Polish Scoutmaster , Second Lieutenant of AK-Szare Szeregi, poet and younger brother of Andrzej "Morro" Romocki....
, scouting instructor and a poet, died in the Warsaw Uprising - Tadeusz RóżewiczTadeusz RózewiczTadeusz Różewicz is a Polish poet and writer.Różewicz belongs to the first generation born and educated after Poland regained its independence in 1918. His youthful poems were published in 1938...
, - Stanisław Staszewski,
- Zdzisław Stroiński, a poet, killed in the Warsaw Uprising
- Andrzej Trzebiński, a dramatist, novelist and a poet, arrested by the Germans, shot to death in 1943
- Józef SzczepańskiJózef SzczepanskiJózef Szczepański was a Polish poet who was a member of the Armia Krajowa Polish resistance. Commander of the Batalion Parasol during the Warsaw Uprising, known under his codename Ziutek, he was also a notable poet of the occupation period...
, a poet, killed in the Warsaw Uprising - Andrzej SzczypiorskiAndrzej SzczypiorskiAndrzej Szczypiorski was a Polish novelist and politician.His father, Adam Szczypiorski, was a political activist, historian and mathematician....
, - Karol Wojtyła.