"Tygodnik Powszechny" No 39,
Krakow, 24 September 2000
"A MAN OF THE CENTURY"
Natalia Gorbaniewska on Jerzy GiedroycWith
Jerzy Giedroyc dies an entire age - one of postwar Communism and "primitive post-Communism". Though the calendar shows that the century goes on, the 20th century has in fact come to a close.
In seeing Jerzy Giedroyc as a "man of the century", I am hardly yielding to my Polish passions. Giedroyc's true significance is known today (not fully) only by Poles, perhaps by long-time readers of "Ruskaya Mysl" weekly or "Kontinent" monthly. This group will grow - already I have had the fortune to hear a certain French journalist exclaim: "I had no idea he was such a man!"
For us Russians he will always remain the one who spoke in favor of the post-Communist nations developing friendly relations, the one who did the most toward Poles and Russians achieving an understanding. I will not say "friendship between the nations", because I only believe in friendships between people; but I will say, that he did much toward the eradication of "enmity", toward "good neighborly relations", though Russia and Poland - thank God! - no longer share a border, which is something Giedroyc foresaw and strived to achieve. Thanks to Giedroyc, our two nations are no longer governed by ignorance, and ignorance invariably breeds hostility, fear, insolence and inferiority complexes. Giedroyc caused more and more people - both Poles and Russians - to develop friendships, to see each other not only as "others", but above all as neighbors. This occurred and continues to occur specifically due to Giedroyc and "Kultura"; and for some time now also due to the monthly "Novaya Polsha" - a magazine edited by Jerzy Pomianowski but conceived by Giedroyc. The establishment of this monthly about Poland addressed to Russians immensely delighted Giedroyc.
An era has passed; my quarter-century-long friendship - I dare say - with Jerzy Giedroyc has ended. A quarter century during which I sought his advice many times, not always able to grasp the imbroglio of Polish history, and he provided absolute clarity, always in just a few words (he was reserved in general). Only once before have I endured an equal loss, one simultaneously personal and "civic" - and this occurred when Anna Akhmatova died.
Translated from Russian by JS
Natalia Gorbaniewska The author is a Russian poet, columnist and translator of Polish literature (including Milosz and Herling). Her works appeared in "Kultura" many times. © by "Tygodnik Powszechny" | |
"Tygodnik Powszechny" printed this text in its 24 September2000 issue following the death of Jerzy Giedroyc. It appears onwww.culture.pl - courtesy of the editors and publishers of "TygodnikPowszechny" - in connection with "The Year of Jerzy Giedroyc," celebrated in2006.
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