Jan Krzysztof Kelus, also known by his initials JKK, (born 1942) is a Polish singer, poet, composer, and a member of the democratic opposition in Poland between the 1960s and 1980s. A professional sociologist, Kelus is best known for a number of ballads which gained him a nickname of the '' Bard of the opposition'' and ''Polish

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

''. After a brief period at the faculty of law, Kelus graduated from the faculty of sociology of the

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

. After the events of March 1968 he became involved in various groups of the democratic opposition to the Communist regime of the People's Republic of Poland. Arrested in 1969 for his involvement in smuggling books published in Paris by

Jerzy Giedroyc Jerzy Władysław Giedroyc (; 27 July 1906 – 14 September 2000) was a Polish writer and political activist and for many years editor of the highly influential Paris-based periodical, '' Kultura''. Early life Giedroyć was born into a Polish- ...

's ''

Kultura ''Kultura'' (, ''Culture'')—sometimes referred to as ''Kultura Paryska'' ("Paris-based Culture")—was a leading Polish-émigré literary-political magazine, published from 1947 to 2000 by ''Instytut Literacki'' (the Literary Institute), ini ...

'' through the

Tatra Mountains The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak () or in Polish () - '' plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the hi ...

, he was sentenced to imprisonment in the so-called Tatra Climbers' Trial. Released from the prison after the advent of

Edward Gierek Edward Gierek (; 6 January 1913 – 29 July 2001) was a Polish Communist politician and ''de facto'' leader of Poland between 1970 and 1980. Gierek replaced Władysław Gomułka as First Secretary of the ruling Polish United Workers' Party (P ...

's rule, Kelus was involved in the

Workers' Defence Committee The Workers' Defense Committee ( pl, Komitet Obrony Robotników , KOR) was a Polish civil society group that was established to give aid to prisoners and their families after the June 1976 protests and ensuing government crackdown. KOR was an exam ...

(''KOR'') where he organized legal and financial aid to workers and labor activists persecuted by the communist authorities. About that time his songs, passed in

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

copies outside of the official market and without acceptance of the

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

, became one of the symbols of the opposition. During that time he also translated several songs by Czech artist

Karel Kryl Karel Kryl (12 April 1944 – 3 March 1994) was an iconic Czechoslovak (Moravian born and Czech speaking) poet, singer-songwriter and author of many hit protest songs in which he identified and attacked the hypocrisy, stupidity and inhumanity of ...

. Simultaneously to his anti-communist activities, in the 1970s Kelus was working at the Gynaecological Institute of the

Medical University of Warsaw The Medical University of Warsaw ( Polish name: '' Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny'', Latin name: ''Universitas Medica Varsoviensis'') is one of the oldest and the largest medical school in Poland. The first academic department of medicine was crea ...

. Dismissed from the job due to his political activity in 1979, Kelus continued his involvement in the opposition. In early 1980s he was among the founders of the

Niezależna Oficyna Wydawnicza CDN The Independent Printing House CDN (better known as CDN, ) was an underground printing house (''bibuła'') operating in Poland between 1982 and 1990. Formed after the imposition of the Martial Law in Poland, it focused on publishing various most ...

, the largest underground printing house of that time. Arrested in 1981 after the imposition of the Martial Law in Poland, Kelus was interned in

Białołęka Białołęka (, from ''biały'' - ''white'' and ''łąka'' - ''meadow'') is one of 18 districts of Warsaw, located in the northern part of the city. Until October 27, 2002 Białołęka was a gmina. The name ''Białołęka'' comes from a nobleman ...

, along with other notable leaders of the Solidarity. During that time JKK's songs were performed by numerous artists, among them

Jacek Kaczmarski Jacek Marcin Kaczmarski (22 March 1957 – 10 April 2004) was a Polish singer, songwriter, poet and author. Life He was the son of painter Anna Trojanowska-Kaczmarska, a Pole of Jewish background, and the artist Janusz Kaczmarski. Kaczmarski ...

and Antonina Krzysztoń. After the

peaceful transition of power A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly-elected leadership. This may be after elections or during t ...

in Poland in 1989, Kelus withdrew from public life to a house near

Białowieża Białowieża ( be, Белавежа, Biełavieža) is a village (population 2,000 as of 2002) in Poland's Podlasie Province, in the middle of the Białowieża Forest, to which it gave its name. The village is some east of Hajnówka and southe ...

, where he owns a small beekeeping farm. Most of his songs were officially issued after 1989 for the first time.

References

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External links

*
Lyrics of most of JKK's songs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelus, Jan Krzysztof 1942 births 20th-century Polish male singers Living people Members of the Workers' Defence Committee Polish male poets Polish sociologists Sung poetry of Poland