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__NOTOC__ Jan Parandowski (11 May 1895 – 26 September 1978) was a Polish writer, essayist, and translator. Best known for his works relating to
classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
, he was also the president of the Polish PEN Club between 1933 and 1978, with a break during
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. He was born in
Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
,
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
and died in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
.


Biography

Jan Parandowski graduated from Jan Długosz High School, in
Lemberg Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
,
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
(now
Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
,
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
). In 1913 he began his studies at the
University of Lemberg The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...
, in the philosophy department. There he studied philosophy, classical
philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...
,
archeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...
,
art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...
, and
Polish literature Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages used in Poland over the centuries have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Lati ...
. His studies were interrupted by
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, during which he was interned in Russia, and consequently taught at schools in
Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...
and
Saratov Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901, ...
. From 1920 he continued his studies, and in 1923 received his master's degree in classical philology and archeology. From 1922 to 1924 he was the literary chief for publisher Alfred Altenberg, for whom he organized a series of translations of classical works and a further "great writers" series. During this time, he was an oft correspondent for a number of Polish newspapers and magazines, including the ''Morning Gazette'', the ''Illustrated Weekly'', the ''Literary News'', and the weekly, ''Rainbow''. Between 1924 and 1926 he travelled to Greece, France, and Italy. From 1929 he lived in Warsaw, where at first he was an editor for the monthly, ''Warsaw Diary''. In 1930 he became a member of the Polish PEN Club, and in 1933, its president. At the
1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-s ...
in Berlin, he received a
bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receiv ...
for his book, ''The Olympic Discus'', and in 1937 he received the Polish Literary Academy's "Gold Laurels" for outstanding literary achievement. Between 1937 and 1938 he was an editor for the state publishing house for school books, and produced the educational series, ''Great People''. After World War II began, he participated in the cultural underground. The flames of the
Warsaw uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...
consumed his literary archives and his entire unpublished works. During the years 1945 – 1950 he took over the Department of Classical Antiquity, then the Department of Comparative Literature at the
Catholic University of Lublin John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin ( pl, Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, la, Universitas Catholica Lublinensis Ioannis Pauli II, abbreviation KUL), established in 1918. It is the only private college in Poland with the s ...
(KUL). He became a regular member of Warszawskie Towarzystwo Naukowe (loosely translated, Warsaw Association of Sciences), worked with publications such as the '' Universal Weekly'', ''Meander'', ''Creation'', and renewed his activities as chairman of the Polish PEN Club. In 1948 he organized a World Congress of Intellectuals in
Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
, after which he returned to live in Warsaw. In 1958, Jan Parandowski organized an International Translators Convention in Warsaw, and in 1962 he became the vice-president of International PEN. In 1964 he received the Polish State Award of the First Degree, and in the same year he was a signatory to the
Letter of 34 ''Letter of 34'' – two-sentence protest letter of Polish intellectuals against censorship in Communist Poland, addressed to the Prime Minister Józef Cyrankiewicz, delivered on 14 March 1964 to by Antoni Słonimski. The name refers to the numb ...
scholars and writers in defense of
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
. In 1975 he was honoured for his lifetime achievement by
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
. In 1976 he received an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
in
Christian Philosophy Christian philosophy includes all philosophy carried out by Christians, or in relation to the religion of Christianity. Christian philosophy emerged with the aim of reconciling science and faith, starting from natural rational explanations w ...
from the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL). In 1988 a prize was founded in his honour, the Jan Parandowski prize, and is awarded annually by the Polish PEN Club to exemplary historical writers. His granddaughter is the actress
Joanna Szczepkowska Joanna Szczepkowska (Polish pronunciation: ; born 1 May 1953) is a Polish film and theatre actress and writer. She appeared in more than thirty films since 1975. Life and career She made her debut on televion in 1975 by appearing in episode 1 of ...
.


Works

As a literary figure, Parandowski began writing in Lwow in 1913, though he came to experience international prominence after his much cited ''Mythology'' in 1924. His knowledge, crisp and engaging writing style, and ability to tackle the most controversial subjects contributed greatly to Parandowski's popularity. In Poland his works have become a staple of classical study in schools of all levels.


Selected bibliography

*(1924) ''Mitologia/Mythology'' *(1924) ''Eros na Olimpie'' *(1927) ''Dwie wiosny'' *(1927) ''Wojna trojańska/The Trojan War'' *(1930) ''Król życia'' *(1933) ''Dysk olimpijski/The Olympic Discus'' *(1934) ''Odwiedziny i spotkania'' *(1935) ''Przygody Odyseusza'' *(1936) ''Niebo w płomieniach'' *(1949) ''Godzina śródziemnomorska'' *(1953) ''Zegar słoneczny'' *(1955) ''Pisma wybrane'' *(1956) ''Petrarka'' *(1957) ''Dzieła wybrane tom 1–3'' *(1958) ''Z antycznego świata'' *(1959) ''Mój Rzym'' *(1961) ''Powrót do życia'' *(1967) ''Akacja''


Translations

*(1924) ''Historia świata Wellsa/
The Outline of History ''The Outline of History'', subtitled either "The Whole Story of Man" or "Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind", is a work by H. G. Wells chronicling the history of the world from the origin of the Earth to the First World War. It appeare ...
by H. G. Wells'' *(1925) ''Dafnis i Chloe/
Daphnis and Chloe ''Daphnis and Chloe'' ( el, Δάφνις καὶ Χλόη, ''Daphnis kai Chloē'') is an ancient Greek novel written in the Roman Empire, the only known work of the second-century AD Greek novelist and Hellenistic romance, romance writer Longus ...
'' *(1935) ''Życie Karola Wielkiego Einharda'' *(1951) ''Wojna domowa Juliusza Cezara/Civil Wars by
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
'' *(1953) ''Odyseja Homera/
Homer's Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...
''


Travel Memoirs

*(1924) ''Rzym czarodziejski'' *(1927) ''Dwie wiosny'' *(1958) ''Podróże literackie''


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parandowski, Jan 1895 births 1978 deaths Writers from Lviv Burials at Powązki Cemetery Polish historical novelists Polish male novelists Olympic bronze medalists in art competitions Golden Laurel of the Polish Academy of Literature 20th-century Polish novelists Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics 20th-century male writers Translators of Homer Olympic competitors in art competitions Recipients of the State Award Badge (Poland)