Jozef Mackiewicz
Encyclopedia
Józef Mackiewicz was a Polish
writer and commentator. He staunchly opposed communism
, referring to himself as "anticommunist by nationality".
, Russian Empire
on 1 April 1902 to a Polish family from Polish-Lithuanian gentry
. In 1907 his family moved back to Vilnius
(Wilno) (from 1918 till 1945 in Poland
, now in Lithuania
). Mackiewicz studied natural sciences and before World War II
he worked as a journalist for Słowo (The Word), a newspaper published in Vilnius, then within Poland
's borders. On 17 of September 1939 Soviet troops invaded eastern Poland (Kresy
) and gave Wilno to independent Lithuania. Between October 1939 and May 1940 he was a publisher and editor-in-chief of the Gazeta Codzienna, a Polish language daily in Lithuanian-controlled Vilnius. In his articles Mackiewicz attempted to initiate a dialogue between Lithuanians and Poles. After the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union
, he worked as a labourer. In 1942, he witnessed a of massacre of Jews by the Germans in Ponary
, which he described in his book Nie trzeba głośno mówić (“One Is Not Supposed to Speak Aloud”). At the end of 1942 / beginning of 1943 he was sentenced to death by the Home Army for his work at Gazeta Codzienna and Goniec Codzienny (see below). Sentence was then cancelled by the Home Army . In June 1943, with consent of the Polish government-in-exile, he assisted in the first excavations of the mass graves of the Polish soldiers killed by Soviet NKVD
in Katyn
in 1940. Mackiewicz left Poland with his wife in 1945, never to return, and died in exile
in Munich
, in 1985.
is extremely realistic: he believed there were no untouchable subjects. In 1957, he published Kontra
, a narrative account of the particularly brutal and treacherous handover of thousands
of anti-Soviet Cossacks by British
soldiers in Austria
back to Soviets.
His other works include Droga donikąd (The Road to Nowhere) – an account of life under Soviet occupation, Zwycięstwo prowokacji (Victory of provocation) – on communism, W cieniu krzyża (In the shadow of the cross) – on Catholicism.
His voluminous output as a writer of fiction and a publicist has been undergoing an unusual revival after many years of underground publishing and later marginal interest. His books are however hardly available in Poland due to legal issues.
" (i.e. publishing four articles in a local newspaper shortly after the Nazis took control of Vilnius in 1941) by an underground tribunal of Polish Resistance forces Home Army. An executive official, Sergiusz Piasecki
declined to carry out the verdict and later Mackiewicz was cleared of any wrongdoing. It is open to debate to what extent this verdict was influenced by Soviet secret agents in the Home Army. This accusation negatively influenced perceptions of Mackiewicz after World War II
and was exploited by his critics.
from 1954 to 1955.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
writer and commentator. He staunchly opposed communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, referring to himself as "anticommunist by nationality".
Life and career
Jozef Mackiewicz was born in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
on 1 April 1902 to a Polish family from Polish-Lithuanian gentry
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. In 1907 his family moved back to Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
(Wilno) (from 1918 till 1945 in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, now in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
). Mackiewicz studied natural sciences and before World War II
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...
he worked as a journalist for Słowo (The Word), a newspaper published in Vilnius, then within Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
's borders. On 17 of September 1939 Soviet troops invaded eastern Poland (Kresy
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
) and gave Wilno to independent Lithuania. Between October 1939 and May 1940 he was a publisher and editor-in-chief of the Gazeta Codzienna, a Polish language daily in Lithuanian-controlled Vilnius. In his articles Mackiewicz attempted to initiate a dialogue between Lithuanians and Poles. After the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, he worked as a labourer. In 1942, he witnessed a of massacre of Jews by the Germans in Ponary
Paneriai
Paneriai is a neighborhood of Vilnius, situated about 10 kilometres away from the city center. It is the largest elderate in the Vilnius city municipality. It is located on low forested hills, on the Vilnius-Warsaw road...
, which he described in his book Nie trzeba głośno mówić (“One Is Not Supposed to Speak Aloud”). At the end of 1942 / beginning of 1943 he was sentenced to death by the Home Army for his work at Gazeta Codzienna and Goniec Codzienny (see below). Sentence was then cancelled by the Home Army . In June 1943, with consent of the Polish government-in-exile, he assisted in the first excavations of the mass graves of the Polish soldiers killed by Soviet NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
in Katyn
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
in 1940. Mackiewicz left Poland with his wife in 1945, never to return, and died in exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, in 1985.
Works
Mackiewicz's proseProse
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
is extremely realistic: he believed there were no untouchable subjects. In 1957, he published Kontra
Kontra
Kontra is the fourth studio album by Basque metal band Eraso! and the first one with new member Ander Izeta. It was released on December 4, 2005.-Track listing:# "Aurrera"# "Egunak"# "Kontra"# "Errebelazioa"# "Laztanak/Oihuak"# "Hitzik Esan Gabe"...
, a narrative account of the particularly brutal and treacherous handover of thousands
Operation Keelhaul
Operation Keelhaul was carried out in Northern Italy by British and American forces to repatriate Soviet Armed Forces POWs of the Nazis to the Soviet Union between August 14, 1946 and May 9, 1947...
of anti-Soviet Cossacks by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldiers in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
back to Soviets.
His other works include Droga donikąd (The Road to Nowhere) – an account of life under Soviet occupation, Zwycięstwo prowokacji (Victory of provocation) – on communism, W cieniu krzyża (In the shadow of the cross) – on Catholicism.
His voluminous output as a writer of fiction and a publicist has been undergoing an unusual revival after many years of underground publishing and later marginal interest. His books are however hardly available in Poland due to legal issues.
Death sentence
During the war Mackiewicz was sentenced to death for "collaborationCollaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
" (i.e. publishing four articles in a local newspaper shortly after the Nazis took control of Vilnius in 1941) by an underground tribunal of Polish Resistance forces Home Army. An executive official, Sergiusz Piasecki
Sergiusz Piasecki
Sergiusz Piasecki , was one of the best known Polish language writers of the mid 20th century. His crowning achievement, published in 1937, was the third most popular novel in the Second Polish Republic...
declined to carry out the verdict and later Mackiewicz was cleared of any wrongdoing. It is open to debate to what extent this verdict was influenced by Soviet secret agents in the Home Army. This accusation negatively influenced perceptions of Mackiewicz after World War II
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...
and was exploited by his critics.
Trivia
His brother, Stanisław Mackiewicz, was a political publicist and Prime Minister of the Government of Poland in exilePolish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
from 1954 to 1955.