Józef Kisielewski (26 January 1905 – 20 July 1966) was a Polish writer, journalist and right-wing politician of the National Party.
Kisielewski was born in
Mostyska
Mostyska ( uk, Мости́ська, pl, Mościska, both in the ''plural''), is a small city in Yavoriv Raion, Lviv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Mostyska urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: ...
. He studied Polish Language at the Adam Mickiewicz University in
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
. After graduation, in 1929, he worked as a secretary in a Roman Catholic weekly ''Przewodnik Katolicki'', then, in 1931 became editor-in-chief of the ''Tecza'' monthly. Also, his articles were published in a right-wing weekly Prosto z mostu.
In the years 1937 and 1938 Kisielewski went on a series of trips across then-northern Germany, from Berlin, through
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
,
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
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, postal ...
Leba Leba may refer to:
*Łeba (German: ''Leba''), a town in Pomerania, Poland
*Łeba River
Łeba (pronounced: , Kashubian, Pomeranian and German: ''Leba'') is a seaside town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. It is located in the Pom ...
. In the summer of 1939, soon before the outbreak of the Second World War, his book '' Ziemia Gromadzi Prochy'' (''Earth Gathers the Ashes'') was published. The book is a report of his trips, it critically analyzes everyday life of prewar
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
and accentuates Slavic past of large parts of Germany. Kisielewski was aware of the growing power of Nazi military machine, he correctly predicted that war would start soon. The book was banned by German occupiers of Poland, it was reprinted by Polish anti-Nazi resistance in 1943 and the publication was widely popular.
In September 1939 Jozef Kisielewski, who was well aware that the Germans wanted to capture and kill him for the book, escaped to
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
, then to France and Great Britain. Between 1946 and 1949 he published the ''Przegląd Polski'' weekly, then became director of the Roman Catholic Publishing House "Veritas". Also, he co-produced magazines ''Życie'' and ''Poland and Germany''.
He married Irish art historian and former SOE officer, Erica O'Donnell, in 1958. They had two sons.
He died of a heart attack in Bandon,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
He is buried in
Gunnersbury Cemetery
Gunnersbury Cemetery, also known as Kensington or New Kensington Cemetery, is a cemetery opened in 1929. Although it is owned and managed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,