Jerzy Broszkiewicz

He was born on 6 June 1922 in Lviv; his father, Adam, was an officer in the Polish Armed Forces.^[2][3] From 1934, he was a student at the Jan Długosz Gymnasium [pl] in Lviv.^[2] In 1940, after finishing secondary school and music school, he entered the Lviv National Music Academy.^[2][3] During the German occupation of Lviv (from 1941 to 1944), he participated in underground cultural activities (literary evenings, concerts);^[2] he was also a louse-feeder at the Lviv Institute for Typhus and Virus Research under Professor Rudolf Weigl.^[4][5]

In 1944, he married Ewa Łomnicka and moved to Kraków,^[2][5] where he lived in the famous Literary House [pl] at 22 Krupnicza Street.^[3][5] For some time, he studied at the Academy of Music but discontinued his studies in 1945^[2] (although Stanisław Frycie [pl] and Tadeusz Kwiatkowski [pl] described him as a “promising pianist”).^[5][6] From that year, he was a member of the Polish Writers' Union (from 1957 to 1958, he was vice-president of the main board; from 1973, he was a member of the Kraków branch board of the union, and in 1975, its vice-president).^[2] From 1945 to 1947, he collaborated with the editorial office of the weekly Odrodzenie [pl] (including as a proofreader and theater critic) and the journal Teatr [pl]. He also worked with the newspapers Nowiny [pl] and Dziennik Polski (from 1945 to 1946).^[2][3][7] From 1947 to 1949, he co-edited the magazine Ruch Muzyczny [pl], and later, from 1948 to 1951, he was an editor for the monthly Muzyka [pl].^[2][3][7]

In 1948, he moved to Warsaw.^[2] From 1950 to 1951, he hosted a weekly cultural program on the radio and later was a writer for radio plays.^[2] From 1950 to 1963, he published in Nowa Kultura [pl] and Przegląd Kulturalny [pl] (where he was a member of the editorial board from 1953).^[2] From 1953 to 1954, he edited the artistic-literary supplement in Sztandar Młodych called Przedpole.^[2][6] In 1953, he joined the Polish United Workers' Party,^[8] and in the same year, he became a member of the editorial board of Przegląd Kulturalny, where he was a co-editor until 1963.^[3] From 1955 to 1956, he was the artistic director of the Estrada Theatre.^[5] In 1959, he returned to Kraków; from that year until 1971, he was the literary manager of the Ludowy Theatre in Nowa Huta.^[2][3] In 1960, he wrote for Gazeta Krakówska.^[2] In 1975, he became a member of the Kraków Polish United Workers' Party Committee and a member of the presidium of the Kraków club Kużnica.^[2][6]

His wife, Ewa (née Łomnicka), was a doctor in psychiatry and the daughter of the renowned mathematician Antoni Łomnicki. They had one daughter, Irena (1954–2021), the prototype for Iki from the novel Wielka, większa i największa (The Great, Greater, and Greatest), a doctor of mathematics and artist from Piwnica pod Baranami.^[5]

 

He suffered from schizophrenia.^[2] He died on 4 October 1993 in Kraków.^[2][3] He was buried in the Alley of Merit at the Rakowicki Cemetery (section LXIX, row B-2-2).^[9]

His literary work was diverse.^[3] He made his debut in 1945 as a music critic^[3][10] and simultaneously as a writer with the short story Monika, published in the weekly Odrodzenie (No. 18).^[2][8] His book debut was the novel Oczekiwanie (Expectation), set in the ghetto,^[3] for which he received the Kraków Land Award.^[2]

Another significant work was the repeatedly reissued novel Kształt miłości (The Shape of Love) about Frédéric Chopin,^[3] for which he received the State Award of the 2nd degree in 1951. In 1971, the novel Długo i szczęśliwie (Happily Ever After) won the Association of Trade Unions Award.^[2] Kluska, Kefir i Tutejszy [pl] (Dumpling, Kefir, and the Local) was distinguished at the IV Premio Europeo in 1968.^[3]

He authored 14 novels for young readers, debuting with Opowieść olimpijska (Olympic Tale) in 1948, although most of his novels for younger audiences were written in the 1960s and 1970s.^[3] His earlier works in this genre were often biographical. Many of his later works belong to the science fiction genre, which Frycie considered the most significant part of his oeuvre.^[6] Notably, Wielka, większa i największa (The Great, Greater, and Greatest) from 1960 received high praise from critics^[11] and became a compulsory reading book for fifth grade.^[12][13] According to Frycie, in his works for young adults, Broszkiewicz exposed moral values such as resourcefulness, wisdom, nobility, and courage, and combined various narrative techniques, genres, and literary conventions.^[6]

In addition to this, he also wrote well-received dramas, being a multiple winner of drama competitions.^[10] He penned over 20 theatrical, television, and radio plays.^[5] He also wrote collections of essays,^[5] television^[14] and film scripts^[5] (e.g., Kopernik [Copernicus]), and publications on music.^[5] Some of his plays were produced abroad, including in France, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, New Zealand, and the US.^[5] Broszkiewicz's works have been translated into at least 20 languages, and the total print run of his novels exceeded 1 million copies.^[5]

Frycie described Broszkiewicz as an exceptionally talented and versatile writer.^[6]

Broszkiewicz also helped in writing the debut novels of Sat-Okh: Ziemia słonych skał (Land of Salty Rocks, 1958) and Biały mustang (White Mustang, 1959). According to Dariusz Rosiak [pl], Broszkiewicz was even their actual undisclosed author based on Sat-Okh's stories.^[15]

• Opowieść olimpijska (The Olympic Tale) – 1948
• Opowieść o Chopinie (The Tale of Chopin) – 1950; adaptation of Kształt miłości (Shape of Love)
• Jacek Kula – 1952
• Powrót do jasnej polany (Return to the Sunny Meadow) – 1953
• Emil! Emil! – 1954
• Wielka, większa i największa (The Great, Greater, and Greatest) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1960; reading for fifth grade during the Polish People's Republic era; based on which a feature film was made
• Ci z Dziesiątego Tysiąca (Those from the Tenth Thousand) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1962; science fiction
• Oko Centaura (The Eye of the Centaur) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1964; science fiction; sequel to Those from the Tenth Thousand
• Długi deszczowy tydzień [pl] (A Long Rainy Week) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1966; sequel to Great, Greater, and Greatest; published in the Biblioteka Młodych [pl] (Young Readers' Library) collection
• Kluska, Kefir i Tutejszy [pl] (Dumpling, Kefir, and the Local) – Nasza Księgarnia, 1967
• Mój księżycowy pech [pl] (My Lunar Misfortune) – science fiction; Nasza Księgarnia, 1970, in the Klub Siedmiu Przygód [pl] (Seven Adventures Club) series and Nasza Księgarnia, 1976, in the Biblioteka Młodych collection
• Mister Di [pl] – Nasza Księgarnia, 1972
• Samotny podróżny (The Lonely Traveler) – 1973; provided the basis for the series Kopernik (Copernicus) with Andrzej Kopiczyński; 19 February 1973 marked the 500th anniversary of the astronomer's birth
• Bracia Koszmarek, magister i ja (The Koszmarek Brothers, the Master, and I) – 1980

• Oczekiwanie (Expectation) – 1948
• Kształt miłości (The Shape of Love) – Part I, 1950, Part II, 1951; based on which the feature film Youth of Chopin was made^[6][10]
• Imiona władzy (Names of Power) – 1957
• Długo i szczęśliwie (Happily Ever After) – 1970
• Dziesięć rozdziałów (Ten Chapters) – 1971–1974
• Doktor Twardowski (Doctor Twardowski) – 1977–1979

• Imiona władzy (Names of Power) – 1957
• Jonasz i błazen (Jonah and the Jester) – 1958
• Dwie przygody Lemuela Gulliwera (Two Adventures of Lemuel Gulliver)
• Dziejowa rola Pigwy (The Historical Role of Pigwa) – 1960
• Skandal w Hellbergu (Scandal in Hellberg) – 1961
• Głupiec i inni (The Fool and Others)
• Koniec księgi VI (The End of Book VI)

• Pożegnanie z katechizmem [Farewell to the Catechism] (in Polish). Vol. III. Warsaw: Iskry. 1958.

He lived in the Krowodrza district of Kraków. He was married to Dr. Ewa (1920–2000), daughter of Antoni Łomnicki, who was a psychiatrist.^[16] They had a daughter, Irena Broszkiewicz (1954–2021), a mathematician associated with Piotr Ferster [pl], the director of Piwnica pod Baranami.^[5]

• Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1975)^[2][8]
• Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
• Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1954^[2] or 11 July 1955)^[17]
• Warsaw Uprising Cross^[18]
• Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland (1984)^[19]
• Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland (19 January 1955)^[20]
• Order of the Smile^[3][21]

• 1948 – Kraków Land Award – for the novel Oczekiwanie^[10]
• 1951 – State Award Badge [pl], Second Class^[3] in the field of Literature and Art – for the novel Kształt miłości^[10]
• 1960 – Artistic Award of Nowa Huta – for promoting culture^[2] and overall dramaturgical activity^[10]
• 1961 – Minister of National Education Award in Kraków^[2]
• 1961 – Second Prize in the Kraków City Dramatic Competition – for the play Skandal w Hellbergu^[5]
• 1962 – Second Prize in the National Council Dramatic Competition in Bydgoszcz – for the play Niepokój przed podróżą (Unease Before the Journey)^[5]
• 1964 – First Prize in the Competition for Contemporary Television Drama – for the play Ta wieś, Mogiła (That Village, Grave)^[5]
• 1965 – Golden Screen Award for 1964 – for the play Ta wieś, Mogiła^[5]
• 1968 – Città di Caorle Award – for the young adult book Kluska, Kefir i Tutejszy^[5]
• 1971 – Association of Trade Unions Award – for the novel Długo i szczęśliwie^[5]
• 1974 – Prime Minister’s Award – for work for children and youth^[3][5][10]
• 1979 – Prime Minister’s First-Class Award^[3] for work for children and youth^[6] in the field of literature on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Polish People's Republic – for overall literary output^[5]
• 1982 – State First-Class Award for overall literary output^[5]
• 1984 – Kraków City Award^[2]

• Konieczny, Piotr (2024). "Broszkiewicz, Jerzy". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2024-08-06.