Poet, playwright, publicist and satirist. Born in 1895, died in 1976.
Born into an assimilated Jewish family, Słonimski was the grandson of Chaim Zelig. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. After graduating, he was a painter, graphic artist and political cartoonist. He cooperated with the weekly "Sowizdrzał" during the years 1913-1919, where he also published he first literary texts. He debuted in 1913 with the poem Wierszem o poecie ("Poem about a Poet") in "Złoty Róg" (Warsaw). In 1918, he published his first volume of poetry, containing the series titled Sonnets. In the years 1917-1918, he collaborated with the monthly "Pro Arte et Studio", and was the initiator and co-founder of the "Pod Picadorem" literary and artistic cabaret (1918), as well as a co-founder of the Skamander literary group. Beginning in 1924, he was a regular contributor to "Wiadomości Literackie" ("Literary News"), where he headed the theater reviews section; during the years 1927-1939, he also had a column titled "Kronika tygodniowa" ("Weekly Chronicle"). He published in the satirical weekly "Cyrulik Warszawski" ("Barber of Warsaw") (1924-1934). During the years 1920-1923, he was editor of the art and film review section of the daily "Kurier Polski" ("Polish Courier"). Along with the other Skamandrites, he wrote New Year's satirical skits. During the interwar period, Słonimski published the following collections of poetry: Godzina poezji (1923), Droga na Wschód (1924), Z dalekiej podróży (1926), Okno bez krat (1935). He also published the comedies Murzyn warszawski (1928) and Lekarz bezdomny (1930), as well as the novels Torpeda czasu (1924) and Dwa końce świata (1937).
After the start of the Second World War, Słonimski went to France and then to England, where he edited the émigré monthly "Nowa Polska" during the years 1942-46. During that period, he wrote his famous poem Alarm as well as He is From My Fatherland (Ten jest z ojczyzny mojej) - in honor of the victims of Nazi terror. In 1946-48, he headed the Literature Section of UNESCO, and then during the years 1948-51 was the director of the Polish Cultural Institute in London, which operated under the aegis of the Warsaw government. In 1951, Słonimski returned to Poland, where in 1956-1959 he was the chairman of the Union of Polish Writers [Związek Literatów Polskich - ZLP]. He published in "Nowa Kultura", "Twórczość" and "Przegląd Kulturalny". In 1964, he was one of the intellectuals behind the famous "Letter of 34", which criticized the Polish government's cultural policies. In 1968, he helped organize the writers' protest against the ban on staging Mickiewicz's Forefathers' Eve at the National Theater. That same year, his works were banned as a result of the communist government's anti-Semitic propaganda campaign.
Słonimski did not emigrate, however, as did most of the remaining Polish Jews. In the 1970's, he cooperated with the opposition. Beginning in 1971, he had regular columns in Kraków's "Tygodnik Powszechny". He died in Warsaw as the result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident, and is buried at the cemetery of the Institute for the Blind in Laski. He was an important authority figure for the Polish intelligentsia.
Source: www.diapozytyw.pl (website developed as part of Adam Mickiewicz Institute's activities)
