He took part in the Warsaw Uprising and was imprisoned after the fall of the Uprising in Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.
He began working as a journalist in 1946. Since the appearance of his first collection of stories in 1955, he had published more than 20 volumes of novels, newspaper reports and columns, essays and articles. Szczypiorski aligned himself with the democratic opposition in the late 1970s, being interned during Martial Law (1981-1982) and then, in 1989, being elected Senator (holding office until 1991). After resigning from an active political role, he became one of the country's most highly respected columnists, as well as a moral and intellectual authority.
Szczypiorski's novels, like his newspaper columns, are predominated by two issues: contemporary Polish-German relations and the moral and political conflicts of recent decades. He has made his mark as a mediator engaged in improving relations among the Polish, German, and Jewish peoples. He won enormous renown for his novel Początek / The Beginning, (known in Germany and elsewhere as The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman), in which he depicted the different attitudes of Poles, Jews and Germans during the Nazi Occupation. This novel became a great success above all - but not only - in the German-speaking countries (winning the Austrian State Prize for European Literature as well as the Nelly Sachs Prize). Szczypiorski saw literature as "a kind of mission... entrusted to writers by society". Szczypiorski tried to remain true to this calling in both his fiction and his autobiographical writing, like From the Martial Law Notebook, published in London in 1983. The first edition of The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman, which came out in Paris in 1986, was an immediate success. It was followed by Night, Day and Night, a fascinating study of the mechanism of political provocation. Next came the convincing psychological portrait Self-Portrait with Woman (1994), and collections of stories including American Whiskey, which won the German Catholic Art and Culture Award. Polish literary critics paid the most attention to the parable-as-novel A Mass for Arras (1971), which recounted authentic fifteenth-century historical events (plague, famine, and the persecution of Jews and heretics). Szczypiorski sat down to write this novel in the autumn of 1968, in response to the dramatic and shameful events of the preceding spring - the anti-Semitic campaign and attacks on intellectuals orchestrated by the communist authorities. The issues concealed "between the lines" were perfectly clear to the first Polish readers, and A Mass for Arras was regarded as an important commentary on current events by a writer with moral concerns.
Selected Bibliography
- Za murami Sodomy (Behind the Walls of Sodom). Warsaw: Czytelnik, 1963
- Msza za miasto Arras (A Mass for Arras). Warsaw: Czytelnik, 1971.
- I ominęli Emaus (A Detour Around Emmaus). Warsaw: Czytelnik, 1974.
- Z notatnika stanu wojennego (From the Martial Law Notebook). London: Polonia, 1983.
- Początek (The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman). Paris: Instytut Literacki, 1986.
- Amerykańska whisky i inne opowiadania (American Whiskey and Other Stories). Poznan: SAWW, 1990.
- Noc, dzień i noc (Night, Day and Night). Poznan: SAWW, 1991.
- Autoportret z kobietą (Self-Portrait with Woman). Poznan: SAWW, 1994.
- Grzechy, cnoty pragnienia (Sins and Virtues of Desire). Poznan: Sens, 1997.
- Trzy krótkie opowiadania (Three Short Narratives). Poznan: Sens, 1998.
- Gra z ogniem (Play with the Fire). Poznan: Sens, 1999.
Selected translations
- English: A Mass for Arras. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1993; New York: Grove Press, 1993; The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman. New York: Grove Press, 1990; New York: Abacus, 1992; New York: Random House, 1992; London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1989; London: Orion Books, 1996; Self-Portrait with Woman. New York: Grove Press, 1995; The Shadow Catcher. New York: Grove Press, 1997.
- French: Messe pour la ville d'Arras. Paris: L'Age d'Homme, 1987; La Jolie Madame Seidenman. Paris: Editions de Fallois, 1988; Whiskey américain. Paris: Editions de Fallois, 1995; Nuit, jour et nuit. Paris: Liana Levi, 1994; Autoportrait avec femme. Paris: Liana Levi, 1996.
- German: Amerikanischer Whiskey. Zürich: Diogenes, 1989; Eine Messe für die Stadt Arras. Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 1979; Nacht, Tag und Nacht. Zürich: Diogenes, 1991; Notitzen zum Stand der Dinge (From the Martial Law Notebook). Zürich: Diogenes, 1990; Den Schatten fangen (The Shadow Catcher). Zürich: Diogenes, 1993; Die schöne Frau Seidenman. Zürich: Diogenes, 1988; Selbsporträt mit Frau. Zürich: Diogenes, 1994; Der Teufel im Graben (A Detour around Emmaus). Zürich, 1993.
- Czech: Pocatek (The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman). Prahá: Mlada Fronta, 1993.
- Danish: Natt, dag og atter nat. Copenhagen: Hekla, 1993; En messe for byen Arras. Copenhagen: Hekla, 1990; Den smukke fru Seidenman. Copenhagen: Hekla, 1989; Selvportraet med kvinde. Copenhagen: Hekla, 1996.
- Dutch: De mooire mevrouv Seidenman. The Hague: Amber, 1988; Een mis voor de stad Atrecht. The Hague: Amber, 1989; Amerikaanske whiskey. The Hague: Amber, 1992; Zelfportret met vrouv. Amsterdam: Wereldbibliothek, 1995.
- Estonian: Minnevik (Time Past). Tallin: Loomingu Kirjastus, 1995.
- Finnish: Alku (The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman). Helsinki: Tami, 1994.
- Hungarian: A szep Seidenmane. Budapest: Magveto Konyvkiado, 1991.
- Italian: Messa per la citta di Arras. Roma: e/o, 1983; La Bella Signora Seidenman. Milan: Adelphi, 1988; Notte, giorno e notte. Milano: Adelphi, 1996.
- Norwegian: En messe for byen Arras. Oslo: Cappelen, 1995; De gikk forbi Emmaus. Oslo: Cappelen, 1995; Begynneisen (The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman). Oslo: Cappelen, 1990.
- Portuguese: A bela senhora Seidenman. Lisbon: Presenca, 1991.
- Slovenian: Zacatek (The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman). Maribor: Gibraltar, 1996.
- Spanish: La bella seÑora Seidenman. Barcelona: Circe, 1990; Una misa por mia ciudad de Arras. Barcelona: Circe, 1991.
- Swedish: Den vackra fru Seidenman. Stockholm: Alba, 1990; Natt, dag och natt. Stockholm: Alba, 1993.
Source: www.polska2000.pl, Copyright: Stowarzyszenie Willa Decjusza
