Aleksander Kulisiewicz (7 August 1918 – 12 March 1982) was a Polish singer, journalist and a political prisoner during the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
occupation of Poland.
Early life
Kulisiewicz was born on 7 August 1918 in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. He studied law in
German-occupied Poland and worked as a journalist. In 1940, in reaction to his article "Heil butter! – Enough of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
!" in he was deported to the
Sachsenhausen concentration camp. In the camp, he sang and learned songs passed on to him by other inmates, especially from fellow prisoner , including his "Jüdische Todessang" (Jewish Death Song, 1942).
Post War
Following liberation and the end of World War II, he began to document the songs he had learned from other inmates. He dictated hundreds of songs in four languages to a nurse in Kraków. Due to his extensive interpretations of camp songs, he was nicknamed the ''Singer from Hell.''
Kulisiewicz died on 12 March 1982 in Kraków.
He is buried at
Salwator Cemetery
Salwator Cemetery ( pl, Cmentarz Salwatorski, links=no), is a historic cemetery in the Salwator neighborhood of Kraków located north-west of the city centre. It was consecrated in 1865.
History
The Salwator Cemetery is also known as the Zwierzy ...
.
References
Further reading
* Long-form article with photos and sound files.
*
External links
"The life and musical legacy of Aleksander Kulisiewicz with Alan Dein" video 1:04:55
*
"Le barde des Enfers" Radio France (audio, 2 episodes, in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kulisiewicz, Aleksander
1918 births
1982 deaths
Journalists from Kraków
Musicians from Kraków
Polish Holocaust survivors
Polish male singers
Polish journalists
Burials at Salwator Cemetery
Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivors