Born in Lwow in 1926, this eminent essayist, journalist, translator and writer of fiction broke into print in 1949 with "Violets are Unlucky", a collection of stories. In the following years he built a reputation as a non-fiction author, for he is by temperament an essayist and writer of argumentative prose.
Along with several other artistic figures, Bocheński stood at the head of the emerging democratic opposition in the 1970s. He played an active role in artistic protest campaigns, becoming a co-founder and editor of "Zapis" (founded in 1977), the most important uncensored journal in Poland. His opposition activity led to the prohibition of the printing of his books and banishment from official cultural life. In the 1980s, Jacek Bocheński continued to be a leading figure in openly anti-communist culture. His most important work of the period is the novel Post-Breakdown, which was published underground in 1987 and won him the "Solidarity" Prize that same year.
His first book to win wide popularity was an account of an African journey, Farewell to Miss Syngilu or the Elephant and the Polish Question. His most highly regarded books, however, are essayistical novels with the ancient Roman figures of Julius Caesar and Ovid as their protagonists. The Divine Julius: Notes of an Antiquary is a belletristic essay-portrait in which Bocheński takes up the drama of power and the ethical dilemmas of history in relation to contemporary times. Naso the Poet is a novel based on events from the life of the greatest ancient Roman lyric poet, with Bocheński focussing on Ovid's exile and fall from grace with the emperor. Both works are, to a degree, political fictions in which the author traces the degeneration of authority and the gradual disintegration of the society terrorized by that authority. The political allusions (Caesar and the cult of the individual, Ovid and the conflict between the artist and the ruler) are accompanied by a historiographical perspective. Both books, and especially The Divine Julius, were widely discussed and won Bocheński renown as a master of subtle polemics with the world of politics and power.
In turn, following the fall of the old system in 1989, Bocheński went back to concentrating on journalism. He published regularly in the leading newspapers, concentrating on media ethics and the civic responsibilities of cultural figures.
"Fables do not do much for me. It is rather ideas that mobilize me. For instance, asking why certain events turned out the way they did." (Jacek Bocheński)
Selected Bibliography:
- Pożegnanie z panną Syngilu albo słoń a sprawa polska (Farewell to Miss Syngilu, or the Elephant and the Polish Question). Warsaw: Iskry, 1960.
- Boski Juliusz. Zapiski Antykwariusza (The Divine Julius: Notes of an Antiquary). Warsaw: Czytelnik, 1961.
- Tabu (Taboo). Warsaw: Czytelnik, 1969.
- Nazo Poeta (Naso the Poet). Warsaw: Czytelnik, 1969.
- Stan po zapasci (Post-Breakdown). Warsaw: NOWA, 1987.
- Retro. Chotomów: Verba, 1990.
Selected translations:
- German:Göttlicher Julius, Aufzeichnungen eines Antiguars. Munich: Ehrenwirth, 1961;Der Täter heißt Ovid. Vienna: Europaverlag, 1975;Tabu. Hamburg: Deutscher Bühnenschriftsteller, 1960.
- French:État de pesanteur. Montricher: Édition Noir sur Blanc, 1995.
Source: www.polska2000.pl; copyright: Stowarzyszenie Willa Decjusza.