Pawel Jasienica
Encyclopedia
Paweł Jasienica was the pen name
of Leon Lech Beynar (10 November 1909 – 19 August 1970), a Polish historian, journalist and soldier.
During World War II
, Jasienica (then, Leon Beynar) fought in the Polish Army, and later, the Armia Krajowa
resistance. Near the end of the war, he was also working with the anti-Soviet resistance
, which later led to him taking up a new name, Paweł Jasienica, to hide from the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland
. He was associated with the Tygodnik Powszechny
weekly and several other newspapers and magazines. He is best known for his 1960s books on Polish history
on the Kingdom of Poland
under the Piast Dynasty
, the Jagiellon Dynasty
, and the elected kings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
. Those books, still popular, played an important role in popularizing Polish history among several generations of readers.
Jasienica became an outspoken critic of the censorship in the People's Republic of Poland
, and as a notable dissident
, he was persecuted by the government. He was subject to significant invigilation by the security services, and his second wife was in fact an agent of the communist secret police. For a brief period marking the end of his life, his books were prohibited from being distributed or printed.
, to Polish parents, Mikołaj Beynar and Helena Maliszewska. His paternal grandfather, Ludwik Beynar, fought in the January Uprising
and married a Spanish woman, Joanna Adela Feugas. His maternal grandfather, Wiktor Maliszewski, fought in the November Uprising
. Both of his grandfathers eventually settled in the Russian Empire
. His father, Mikołaj, worked as an agronomist
. Beynar's family lived in Russia
and Ukraine
they moved from Simbirsk to a location near Bila Tserkva
and Uman
, then to Kiev
until the Russian Revolution of 1917
, after which they decided to settle in the independent Poland. After brief stay in Warsaw
, during the Polish-Soviet War
, his family settled in Opatów
, and in 1924, moved to Grodno.
Beynar graduated from gymnasium
(secondary school) in Wilno (Vilnius) and graduated in history from Stefan Batory University in Wilno (his thesis concerned the January Uprising). At the university he was an active member of several organizations including Klub Intelektualistów (Intellectuals' Club) and Akademicki Klub Włóczęgów (Academic Club of Vagabonds). After graduating, he finished training for the officer cadet
(podchorązy) in the Polish Army. From 1928 to 1937 he lived in Grodno, where he worked as a history teacher in a gymnasium; later he was employed as an announcer for Polish Radio Wilno
. Here also, Beynar embarked on his career as author and essayist, writing for a local newspaper, Słowo Wileńskie (The Wilno Word). On 11 November 1934 he marred Władysława z Adamowiczów, and in 1938 hs daughter Ewa was born. In 1935 he published his first history book, this one about king Zygmunt August, Zygmunt August na ziemiach dawnego Wielkiego Księstwa (Sigismund Augustus on the Lands of the Former Grand Duchy [of Lithuania]).
, Beynar was a soldier in the Polish Army, fighting the German Wehrmacht
when it invaded Poland
in September 1939. He commanded a platoon near Sandomierz
and was eventually taken prisoner by the Germans. While in temporary prisoner of war camp in Opatów, he was able to escape from it with the help of some old school friends from the time his family lived there in early 1920s. He joined the Polish underground organization, Związek Walki Zbrojnej
(Association for Armed Combat), later transformed into the Armia Krajowa
(AK; the Home Army), and continued the fight against the Germans. In the resistance he had the rank of lieutenant, worked in the local Wilno headquarters and was an editor of an underground newspaper "Pobudka". He was also involved in the underground teaching. In July 1944 he took part in the operation aimed at the liberation of Wilno from the Germans (Operation Ostra Brama). In the aftermath of this operation, around 19–21 August, his partisan unit, like many others, was intercepted and attacked by the Soviets. He was taken prisoner; sources vary as to whether he was to be exiled to Siberia or conscripted into the Polish People's Army. Either way he escaped and rejoined AK partisans (the Home Army 5th Wilno Brigade
). For a while, he was an aide to Major Zygmunt Szendzielarz
(Łupaszko) and a was member of the anti-Soviet resistance
, Wolność i Niezawisłość (WiN, Freedom and Independence). He was promoted to the rank of captain. Wounded in August 1945, he left the Brigade before it was destroyed by the Soviets, and avoided the fate of most of its officers who were sentenced to death. While recovering from his wounds, he found shelter in the village of Jasienica
.
. It was then that he took the pen-name Jasienica (from the name of the place where he had received treatment for his injuries) in order not to endanger his wife, who was still living in Soviet-controlled Vilnius, Lithuania. Soon he became a member of the weekly's staff and then an editor. In 1948 he was arrested by the Polish secret police but after several weeks was released after the intervention of Bolesław Piasecki from the PAX Association
. In gratitude to Piasecki, he worked with PAX in the future, leaving Tygodnik Powszechny for PAX in 1950. From 1950 he was a director of Polish Caritas charity
. His essays were published in Dziś i Jutro, Słowo Powszechne, Życie Warszawy
, Po Prostu. From at least this period till his death he would live in Warsaw. His wife Władysława died 29 March 1965.
Over time he became increasingly involved in various dissident
organizations. In December 1959 he became a vice president of the Union of Polish Writers (Związek Literatów Polskich, ZLP). He also published in the magazine Świat (1951–1969). In 1962 he was the last president of the literary discussion society, Klub Krzywego Koła. In 1966 he was a vice president of the PEN Club. While in the late 40s and 50s he focused mostly on journalistic activity, later he turned to writing popular history in book format. In the 60s he wrote his most famous works, historical books about history of Poland
- the Kingdom of Poland
in the times of the Piast dynasty
, the Jagiellonian dynasty, and the era of elected kings (the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
). His book on the Jagiellonian Poland was recognized as the best book of the year by the readers.
Jasienica was, however, very outspoken in his criticism of the censorship in the People's Republic of Poland
. On 29 February of 1968 during a ZLP meeting, Jasienia presented a harsh critique of the government. These acts, and in particular his signing of the dissident
Letter of 34 in 1964 against censorship and his involvement in the 1968 protests led to his being labeled a political dissident, for which he suffered government persecution. Partly as a response to government's persecution of Jasienica, in 1968 the satirist Janusz Szpotański
dedicated one of his anti-government poems, Ballada o Łupaszce (The Ballad of Łupaszko), written while Szpotański was in Mokotów Prison
, to the writer. In the aftermath of the 1968 events, Polish communist media, and communist leader, Władysław Gomułka, on 19 March 1968, alleged that in 1948 Jasienica was freed because he collaborated with the communist regime; this allegation caused much controversy and damaged Jasienica's reputation. He was subject to much invigilation by the security services. In December 1969, five years after his first wife's death, he became married again. This marriage, after his death, proven to be highly controversial, as his second wife was in fact a secret police informant before the marriage, and continued to write reports about him throughout their marriage. Since then, till his death, his books were prohibited from being distributed or printed.
Jasienica died from cancer on 19 August 1970 in Warsaw
. Some publicists later speculated to what extent his death was caused by "hounding from the party establishment". He is buried in Warsaw
's Powązki Cemetery
. His funeral was attended by many dissidents and became a political manifestation; Adam Michnik
recalls seeing Antoni Słonimski, Stefan Kisielewski
, Stanisław Stomma, Jerzy Andrzejewski
, Jan Józef Lipski
and Władysław Bartoszewski. Bohdan Cywiński read a letter from Antoni Gołubiew.
: Polska Piastów (Piast Poland, 1960), Polska Jagiellonów (Jagiellon Poland, 1963) and the trilogy
Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów (The Commonwealth of Both Nations, 1967–1972). This trilogy made him one of the most popular Polish history writers. Throughout his life he avoided writing about modern history
, to minimize the influence that the official, communist Marxist historiography
would have on his works. This was also one of the reasons for the popularity of his works, which were seen as a rare, legally obtainable alternative to the official version of history. His books, publication of which resumed once again after his death, were labeled as "best-selling", and became the most reprinted postwar history of Poland.
His Dwie drogi (Two ways, 1959) about the January Uprising
of the 1860s represent the latest historical period he has tackled. His other popular historical books include Trzej kronikarze, (Three chroniclers; 1964), a book about three medieval chroniclers of Polish history (Thietmar of Merseburg
, Gallus Anonymus
and Wincenty Kadłubek), in which he discusses the Polish society through ages; and Ostatnia z rodu (Last of the Family; 1965) about the last queen of the Jagiellon dynasty, Anna Jagiellonka. His Rozważania o wojnie domowej (1978; Thoughts on Civil War) were the last book he has finished; unlike majority of his other works, this book is ostensibly about the civil war (Chouannerie
) in Brittany
, France. This work does however contains numerous arguments applicable to more modern Polish history; arguments that Jasienica thought would not be allowed by the censors if the book discussed Polish history.
In addition to historical books, Jasienica, wrote a series of essays about archeology - Słowiański rodowód (Slavic genealogy; 1961) and Archeologia na wyrywki. Reportaże (Archeological excerpts: reports; 1956), journalistic travel reports (Wisła pożegna zaścianek, Kraj Nad Jangtse) and science and technology (Opowieści o żywej materii, Zakotwiczeni). Those works were mostly created around 1950s and 1960s.
His Pamiętnik (Diary) was the work that he begun shortly before his death, and that was never finished.
In 2006, Polish journalist and former dissident Adam Michnik
said that:
Polish historian Henryk Samsonowicz
echoes Michnik's essay in his introduction to a recent (2008) edition of Trzej kronikarze, describing Jasienica as a person who did much to popularize Polish history. Hungarian historian Balázs Trencsényi notes that "Jasienica's impact of the formation of the popular interpretation of Polish history is hard to overestimate". British historian Norman Davies
, himself an author of a popular account of Polish history (God's Playground
), notes that Jasienica, while more of "a historical writer than an academic historian", had "formidable talents", gained "much popularity" and that his works would find no equals in the time of communist Poland. Samsonowicz notes that Jasienica "was a brave writer", going against prevailing system, and willing to propose new hypotheses and reinterpret history in innovative ways. Michnik notes how Jasienica was willing to write about Polish mistakes, for example in the treatment of Cossacks. Ukrainian historian Stephen Velychenko also positively commented on Jasienica's extensive coverage of the Polish-Ukrainian history. Both Michnik and Samsonowicz note how Jasienica's works contain hidden messages in which Jasienica discusses more contemporary history, such as in his Rozważania....
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of Leon Lech Beynar (10 November 1909 – 19 August 1970), a Polish historian, journalist and soldier.
During 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...
, Jasienica (then, Leon Beynar) fought in the Polish Army, and later, the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
resistance. Near the end of the war, he was also working with the anti-Soviet resistance
Cursed soldiers
The cursed soldiers is a name applied to a variety of Polish resistance movements formed in the later stages of World War II and afterwards. Created by some members of the Polish Secret State, these clandestine organizations continued their armed struggle against the Stalinist government of Poland...
, which later led to him taking up a new name, Paweł Jasienica, to hide from the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
. He was associated with the Tygodnik Powszechny
Tygodnik Powszechny
Tygodnik Powszechny is a Polish Roman Catholic weekly magazine, focusing on social and cultural issues. Established in 1945 under the auspices of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Jerzy Turowicz was its editor-in-chief until his death in 1999. He was succeeded by priest Adam Boniecki.-History:The...
weekly and several other newspapers and magazines. He is best known for his 1960s books on Polish history
History of Poland
The History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...
on the Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (disambiguation)
Kingdom of Poland was the name of Poland from 1000/1025 to 1795:* Kingdom of Poland from the early Piast dynasty* Kingdom of Poland under the Jagiellon dynasty...
under the Piast Dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
, the Jagiellon Dynasty
Jagiellon dynasty
The Jagiellonian dynasty was a royal dynasty originating from the Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century...
, and the elected kings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
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...
. Those books, still popular, played an important role in popularizing Polish history among several generations of readers.
Jasienica became an outspoken critic of the censorship in the People's Republic of Poland
Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland
Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland was primarily performed by the Polish Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows , a governmental institution created in 1946 by the pro-Soviet Provisional Government of National Unity with Stalin's approval and backing, and renamed in 1981...
, and as a notable dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
, he was persecuted by the government. He was subject to significant invigilation by the security services, and his second wife was in fact an agent of the communist secret police. For a brief period marking the end of his life, his books were prohibited from being distributed or printed.
Youth
Beynar was born on 10 November 1909 in Simbirsk, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, to Polish parents, Mikołaj Beynar and Helena Maliszewska. His paternal grandfather, Ludwik Beynar, fought in the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
and married a Spanish woman, Joanna Adela Feugas. His maternal grandfather, Wiktor Maliszewski, fought in the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
. Both of his grandfathers eventually settled in the 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...
. His father, Mikołaj, worked as an agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
. Beynar's family lived in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
they moved from Simbirsk to a location near Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva is a city located on the Ros' River in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine, approximately south of the capital, Kiev. Population 203,300 Area 34 km².-Administrative status:...
and Uman
Uman
Uman is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. The city rests on the banks of the Umanka River at around , and serves as the self-governing administrative center of the Umanskyi Raion ....
, then to Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
until the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
, after which they decided to settle in the independent Poland. After brief stay in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw 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...
, during the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
, his family settled in Opatów
Opatów
Opatów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Opatów County. Its population is 7,833 .Tourist attractions include a 12th century Collegiate Church of St...
, and in 1924, moved to Grodno.
Beynar graduated from gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
(secondary school) in Wilno (Vilnius) and graduated in history from Stefan Batory University in Wilno (his thesis concerned the January Uprising). At the university he was an active member of several organizations including Klub Intelektualistów (Intellectuals' Club) and Akademicki Klub Włóczęgów (Academic Club of Vagabonds). After graduating, he finished training for the officer cadet
Officer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
(podchorązy) in the Polish Army. From 1928 to 1937 he lived in Grodno, where he worked as a history teacher in a gymnasium; later he was employed as an announcer for Polish Radio Wilno
Polish Radio Wilno
Polish Radio Wilno was a station of the Polish Radio, located in the city of Wilno , which in the interbellum period belonged to the Second Polish Republic....
. Here also, Beynar embarked on his career as author and essayist, writing for a local newspaper, Słowo Wileńskie (The Wilno Word). On 11 November 1934 he marred Władysława z Adamowiczów, and in 1938 hs daughter Ewa was born. In 1935 he published his first history book, this one about king Zygmunt August, Zygmunt August na ziemiach dawnego Wielkiego Księstwa (Sigismund Augustus on the Lands of the Former Grand Duchy [of Lithuania]).
World War II
During World War IIWorld 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...
, Beynar was a soldier in the Polish Army, fighting the German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
when it invaded Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in September 1939. He commanded a platoon near Sandomierz
Sandomierz
Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
and was eventually taken prisoner by the Germans. While in temporary prisoner of war camp in Opatów, he was able to escape from it with the help of some old school friends from the time his family lived there in early 1920s. He joined the Polish underground organization, Związek Walki Zbrojnej
Zwiazek Walki Zbrojnej
Związek Walki Zbrojnej was an underground army formed in Poland following its invasion in September 1939 by Germany and the Soviet Union that opened World War II.The precursor to the ZWZ was the Service...
(Association for Armed Combat), later transformed into the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
(AK; the Home Army), and continued the fight against the Germans. In the resistance he had the rank of lieutenant, worked in the local Wilno headquarters and was an editor of an underground newspaper "Pobudka". He was also involved in the underground teaching. In July 1944 he took part in the operation aimed at the liberation of Wilno from the Germans (Operation Ostra Brama). In the aftermath of this operation, around 19–21 August, his partisan unit, like many others, was intercepted and attacked by the Soviets. He was taken prisoner; sources vary as to whether he was to be exiled to Siberia or conscripted into the Polish People's Army. Either way he escaped and rejoined AK partisans (the Home Army 5th Wilno Brigade
Home Army 5th Wilno Brigade
The Home Army 5th Wilno Brigade was a unit of the Polish anti-Nazi resistance organization Home Army, active in the Vilnius Region during World War II...
). For a while, he was an aide to Major Zygmunt Szendzielarz
Zygmunt Szendzielarz
Zygmunt Szendzielarz was commander of the Polish 5th Wilno Home Army Brigade.-Early life:...
(Łupaszko) and a was member of the anti-Soviet resistance
Cursed soldiers
The cursed soldiers is a name applied to a variety of Polish resistance movements formed in the later stages of World War II and afterwards. Created by some members of the Polish Secret State, these clandestine organizations continued their armed struggle against the Stalinist government of Poland...
, Wolność i Niezawisłość (WiN, Freedom and Independence). He was promoted to the rank of captain. Wounded in August 1945, he left the Brigade before it was destroyed by the Soviets, and avoided the fate of most of its officers who were sentenced to death. While recovering from his wounds, he found shelter in the village of Jasienica
Jasienica, Ostrów Mazowiecka County
Jasienica is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ostrów Mazowiecka, within Ostrów Mazowiecka County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately east of Ostrów Mazowiecka and north-east of Warsaw.-References:...
.
Post-war
After recovering from his wounds in 1945, Beynar decided to leave the resistance, and instead began publishing in an independent Catholic weekly Tygodnik PowszechnyTygodnik Powszechny
Tygodnik Powszechny is a Polish Roman Catholic weekly magazine, focusing on social and cultural issues. Established in 1945 under the auspices of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Jerzy Turowicz was its editor-in-chief until his death in 1999. He was succeeded by priest Adam Boniecki.-History:The...
. It was then that he took the pen-name Jasienica (from the name of the place where he had received treatment for his injuries) in order not to endanger his wife, who was still living in Soviet-controlled Vilnius, Lithuania. Soon he became a member of the weekly's staff and then an editor. In 1948 he was arrested by the Polish secret police but after several weeks was released after the intervention of Bolesław Piasecki from the PAX Association
PAX Association
The PAX Association was a pro-communist secular Catholic organization created in 1947 in the People's Republic of Poland. In 1953, PAX gave its support to the Stalinist show trial of the Kraków Curia, and took over the publication of the Catholic weekly magazine Tygodnik Powszechny – until the...
. In gratitude to Piasecki, he worked with PAX in the future, leaving Tygodnik Powszechny for PAX in 1950. From 1950 he was a director of Polish Caritas charity
Caritas (charity)
Caritas Internationalis is a confederate of 164 Roman Catholic relief, development and social service organisations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide....
. His essays were published in Dziś i Jutro, Słowo Powszechne, Życie Warszawy
Zycie Warszawy
Życie Warszawy is a right leaning Polish newspaper published in Warsaw. It was founded in October 1944 as an initiative of Polish Workers' Party. Currently it is published by Dom Prasowy Sp. z o.o. and owned by Michał Sołowow....
, Po Prostu. From at least this period till his death he would live in Warsaw. His wife Władysława died 29 March 1965.
Over time he became increasingly involved in various dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
organizations. In December 1959 he became a vice president of the Union of Polish Writers (Związek Literatów Polskich, ZLP). He also published in the magazine Świat (1951–1969). In 1962 he was the last president of the literary discussion society, Klub Krzywego Koła. In 1966 he was a vice president of the PEN Club. While in the late 40s and 50s he focused mostly on journalistic activity, later he turned to writing popular history in book format. In the 60s he wrote his most famous works, historical books about history of Poland
History of Poland
The History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...
- the Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (disambiguation)
Kingdom of Poland was the name of Poland from 1000/1025 to 1795:* Kingdom of Poland from the early Piast dynasty* Kingdom of Poland under the Jagiellon dynasty...
in the times of the Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
, the Jagiellonian dynasty, and the era of elected kings (the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
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...
). His book on the Jagiellonian Poland was recognized as the best book of the year by the readers.
Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland
Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland was primarily performed by the Polish Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows , a governmental institution created in 1946 by the pro-Soviet Provisional Government of National Unity with Stalin's approval and backing, and renamed in 1981...
. On 29 February of 1968 during a ZLP meeting, Jasienia presented a harsh critique of the government. These acts, and in particular his signing of the dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
Letter of 34 in 1964 against censorship and his involvement in the 1968 protests led to his being labeled a political dissident, for which he suffered government persecution. Partly as a response to government's persecution of Jasienica, in 1968 the satirist Janusz Szpotański
Janusz Szpotański
Janusz Szpotański, was a Polish poet, satirist, critic, translator, literary theorist and chess player .He was the creator of satirical tragi-comedic poems which ridiculed the communist...
dedicated one of his anti-government poems, Ballada o Łupaszce (The Ballad of Łupaszko), written while Szpotański was in Mokotów Prison
Mokotów Prison
Mokotów Prison is a prison in Warsaw's borough of Mokotów, Poland, located at Rakowiecka 37 street. It was built by the Russians in the final years of the foreign Partitions of Poland...
, to the writer. In the aftermath of the 1968 events, Polish communist media, and communist leader, Władysław Gomułka, on 19 March 1968, alleged that in 1948 Jasienica was freed because he collaborated with the communist regime; this allegation caused much controversy and damaged Jasienica's reputation. He was subject to much invigilation by the security services. In December 1969, five years after his first wife's death, he became married again. This marriage, after his death, proven to be highly controversial, as his second wife was in fact a secret police informant before the marriage, and continued to write reports about him throughout their marriage. Since then, till his death, his books were prohibited from being distributed or printed.
Jasienica died from cancer on 19 August 1970 in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw 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...
. Some publicists later speculated to what extent his death was caused by "hounding from the party establishment". He is buried in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw 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...
's Powązki Cemetery
Powazki Cemetery
Powązki Cemetery , also known as the Stare Powązki is a historic cemetery located in the Wola district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city, and one of the oldest...
. His funeral was attended by many dissidents and became a political manifestation; Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik is the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, where he sometimes writes under the pen-names of Andrzej Zagozda or Andrzej Jagodziński. In 1966–1989 he was one of the leading organizers of the illegal, democratic opposition in Poland...
recalls seeing Antoni Słonimski, Stefan Kisielewski
Stefan Kisielewski
Stefan Kisielewski , nicknames Kisiel, Julia Hołyńska, Teodor Klon, Tomasz Staliński, was a Polish writer, publicist, composer and politician, and one of the members of Znak, one of the founders of the UPR, the polish libertarian and conservative political party.Kisielewski was born to a Polish...
, Stanisław Stomma, Jerzy Andrzejewski
Jerzy Andrzejewski
Jerzy Andrzejewski was a prolific Polish author. His novels, Ashes and Diamonds , and Holy Week , have been made into film adaptations by the Oscar-winning Polish director Andrzej Wajda...
, Jan Józef Lipski
Jan Józef Lipski
Jan Józef Lipski was a Polish critic and literature historian, socialist politician, and notable Freemason . As a soldier of the Home Army , he fought in the Warsaw Uprising...
and Władysław Bartoszewski. Bohdan Cywiński read a letter from Antoni Gołubiew.
Work
Jasienica book publishing begun with a historical book, Zygmunt August na ziemiach dawnego Wielkiego Księstwa (Sigismund Augustus in the lands of the former Grand Duchy; 1935). He is best known for his highly acclaimed and popular historical books from the 60s about Piast Poland, Jagiellon Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthPolish-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...
: Polska Piastów (Piast Poland, 1960), Polska Jagiellonów (Jagiellon Poland, 1963) and the trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów (The Commonwealth of Both Nations, 1967–1972). This trilogy made him one of the most popular Polish history writers. Throughout his life he avoided writing about modern history
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
, to minimize the influence that the official, communist Marxist historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
would have on his works. This was also one of the reasons for the popularity of his works, which were seen as a rare, legally obtainable alternative to the official version of history. His books, publication of which resumed once again after his death, were labeled as "best-selling", and became the most reprinted postwar history of Poland.
His Dwie drogi (Two ways, 1959) about the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
of the 1860s represent the latest historical period he has tackled. His other popular historical books include Trzej kronikarze, (Three chroniclers; 1964), a book about three medieval chroniclers of Polish history (Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
, Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of Gesta principum Polonorum , composed in Latin about 1115....
and Wincenty Kadłubek), in which he discusses the Polish society through ages; and Ostatnia z rodu (Last of the Family; 1965) about the last queen of the Jagiellon dynasty, Anna Jagiellonka. His Rozważania o wojnie domowej (1978; Thoughts on Civil War) were the last book he has finished; unlike majority of his other works, this book is ostensibly about the civil war (Chouannerie
Chouannerie
The Chouannerie was a royalist uprising in twelve of the western departements of France, particularly in the provinces of Brittany and Maine, against the French Revolution, the First French Republic, and even, with its headquarters in London rather than France, for a time, under the Empire...
) in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, France. This work does however contains numerous arguments applicable to more modern Polish history; arguments that Jasienica thought would not be allowed by the censors if the book discussed Polish history.
In addition to historical books, Jasienica, wrote a series of essays about archeology - Słowiański rodowód (Slavic genealogy; 1961) and Archeologia na wyrywki. Reportaże (Archeological excerpts: reports; 1956), journalistic travel reports (Wisła pożegna zaścianek, Kraj Nad Jangtse) and science and technology (Opowieści o żywej materii, Zakotwiczeni). Those works were mostly created around 1950s and 1960s.
His Pamiętnik (Diary) was the work that he begun shortly before his death, and that was never finished.
In 2006, Polish journalist and former dissident Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik is the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, where he sometimes writes under the pen-names of Andrzej Zagozda or Andrzej Jagodziński. In 1966–1989 he was one of the leading organizers of the illegal, democratic opposition in Poland...
said that:
Polish historian Henryk Samsonowicz
Henryk Samsonowicz
Henryk Bohdan Samsonowicz is a Polish historian specializing in medieval Poland, prolific writer, and professor of the University of Warsaw...
echoes Michnik's essay in his introduction to a recent (2008) edition of Trzej kronikarze, describing Jasienica as a person who did much to popularize Polish history. Hungarian historian Balázs Trencsényi notes that "Jasienica's impact of the formation of the popular interpretation of Polish history is hard to overestimate". British historian Norman Davies
Norman Davies
Professor Ivor Norman Richard Davies FBA, FRHistS is a leading English historian of Welsh descent, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom.- Academic career :...
, himself an author of a popular account of Polish history (God's Playground
God's Playground
God's Playground is a book written in 1979 by Norman Davies, covering the history of Poland.Davies was inspired to the title by Jan Kochanowski's 1580s Boże igrzysko ....
), notes that Jasienica, while more of "a historical writer than an academic historian", had "formidable talents", gained "much popularity" and that his works would find no equals in the time of communist Poland. Samsonowicz notes that Jasienica "was a brave writer", going against prevailing system, and willing to propose new hypotheses and reinterpret history in innovative ways. Michnik notes how Jasienica was willing to write about Polish mistakes, for example in the treatment of Cossacks. Ukrainian historian Stephen Velychenko also positively commented on Jasienica's extensive coverage of the Polish-Ukrainian history. Both Michnik and Samsonowicz note how Jasienica's works contain hidden messages in which Jasienica discusses more contemporary history, such as in his Rozważania....
Awards
- Medals:
- Order of Polonia Restituta, Grand Cross, awarded on 3 May 2007 (posthumously)
- Order of Polonia Restituta, Knight's Cross, awarded on 22 July 1956
- Cross of Valour, awarded by the Wilno Region Headquarters of Armia Krajowa in 1944, confirmed by Polish Ministry of Defense in 1967
- Armia Krajowa CrossArmia Krajowa CrossArmia Krajowa Cross is a Polish military decoration that was introduced by General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski on 1 August 1966 to commemorate the efforts of the soldiers of the Polish Secret State between 1939 and 1945...
, awarded in 1967 in London
- Awards:
- 2007 laureate of Poland's "Custodian of National Memory" Prize.
Further reading
- Marian BrandysMarian BrandysMarian Brandys was a Polish writer and screenwriter born in Wiesbaden.-External links:...
, Jasienica i inni (Jasienica and Others), Warsaw, Iskry, 1995, ISBN 83-207-1492-3 - Bernard Wiaderny, Paweł Jasienica: Fragment biografii, wrzesien 1939 – brygada Łupaszki, 1945 (Paweł Jasienica: Fragment of a Biography, September 1939 – Łupaszko's Brigade, 1945); Warsaw, Antyk
- Ewa Beynar-Czeczott, Mój ojciec Paweł Jasienica (My father Paweł Jasienica); Prószyński i S-ka 2006, ISBN 83-7469-437-8)