Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński (23 January 1905 – 6 December 1953), alias ''Karakuliambro'', was a Polish

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

. He is well known for the "paradramatic" absurd humorous sketches of the ''Green Goose Theatre''.

Biography

Born to a lower-middle-class family 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 officia ...

, Gałczyński was evacuated with his parents at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and from 1914 to 1918 he lived in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, where he attended a Polish school. Returning to Poland in 1918, he studied classics and English language at the

University of Warsaw 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 o ...

, submitting a dissertation on a non-existent nineteenth-century English poet, Morris Gordon Cheats. His literary debut came in 1923 and was a member of the Kwadryga group of poets, and he was linked to satirical and political publications. In 1930 he married Natalia Avalov. From 1931-33, he held the post of

cultural attaché A cultural attaché is a diplomat with varying responsibilities, depending on the sending state of the attaché. Historically, such posts were filled by writers and artists, giving them a steady income, and allowing them to develop their own crea ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. From 1934-36 he was in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

. He settled there at 2 Młynowa Street. There, in 1936, the couple's daughter Kira was born. Through his works, Gałczyński refers to the atmosphere of Vilnius, and that which

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...

left behind. With the outbreak of

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 opposing ...

, Gałczyński received a draft card from the army. He took part in the Polish

September Campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

of 1939. On 17 September, he became a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

and was later captured by the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

. He spent the duration of the occupation in the Stalag XI-A prisoner-of-war camp in Altengrabow, his poems printed secretly in anthologies. After the war he travelled to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, returning to Poland in 1946. He established The 13 Muses Club in Szczecin in 1948 before moving back to Warsaw, and produced work for numerous weekly magazines. Many of his postwar pieces, including "A Poem for the Traitor" ("Poemat dla zdrajcy"), an attack on

Czesław Miłosz Czesław Miłosz (, also , ; 30 June 1911 – 14 August 2004) was a Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. Regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century, he won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. In its citation, ...

, "Chryzostom Bulwieć’s Trip to Ciemnogród" ("Podróż Chryzostoma Bulwiecia do Ciemnogrodu") and the panegyric "Stalin is Dead" ("Umarł Stalin") (1953), were written according to

socialist realist Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ...

conventions. In 1950, he became the object of an ideological battle, his artistic work denounced by

Adam Ważyk Adam Ważyk born Ajzyk Wagman (November 17, 1905 – August 13, 1982) was a Polish poet, essayist and writer born to a Jewish family in Warsaw. In his early career, he was associated with the Kraków avant-garde led by Tadeusz Peiper who publishe ...

at the Reunion of Polish Writers as petit bourgeois. In the later years of his life, he wrote several greater poetic forms: * "Jan Sebastian Bach's Easter" (1950) ("Wielkanoc Jana Sebastiana Bacha") * "

Niobe In Greek mythology, Niobe (; grc-gre, Νιόβη ) was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, the wife of Amphion and the sister of Pelops and Broteas. Her father was the r ...

" (1951) * "Wit Stwosz" (1952) * "Olsztyn Chronicle" (1952) ("Kronika Olsztyńska") From 1950 to 1953, he was associated with the forester’s lodge at Lake Nidzkie, where he wrote numerous works, including "Olsztyn Chronicle". It is there that his

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

is currently located. He published the volumes of poetry ''Enchanted Droshky'' (1948) ("Zaczarowana dorożka"), ''Wedding Rings'' (1949) ("Ślubne obrączki") and ''Songs'' (1953) ("Pieśni"). He also produced

translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

s, or

paraphrase A paraphrase () is a restatement of the meaning of a text or passage using other words. The term itself is derived via Latin ', . The act of paraphrasing is also called ''paraphrasis''. History Although paraphrases likely abounded in oral tra ...

s, of '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

(1952) and ''

Ode to Joy "Ode to Joy" (German language, German: , literally "To heJoy") is an ode written in the summer of 1785 by German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller and published the following year in ''Thalia (magazine), Thalia''. A slightl ...

'' by Friedrich Schiller. He is portrayed, under the name of 'Delta,' in Miłosz's ''

The Captive Mind ''The Captive Mind'' ( Polish: ''Zniewolony umysł'') is a 1953 work of nonfiction by Polish writer, poet, academic and Nobel laureate Czesław Miłosz. It was first published in English in a translation by Jane Zielonko in 1953. Overview ''T ...

'' (1953).

Death

He died on 6 December 1953, aged 48, following a third

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Artistic legacy

Gałczyński's poetry is an inspiration to many authors of

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

; some of his poems having a number of interpretations. They were used by

Olga Lipińska Olga Lipińska (born 6 April 1939 in Warsaw) is a Polish theatre director, screenwriter, and TV comedy producer, best known for her TV cabaret called the Kabaret Olgi Lipińskiej (Cabaret of Olga Lipińska). Biography She graduated in 1964 from ...

in her TV cabaret among others. At the time of the People's Republic of Poland, his poem ''Beloved Country'' ('' Ukochany kraj'') was made into a socialist feel-good song. A musical, ''Beloved Country'', was directed by Janusz Józefowicz at Studio Buffo musical theatre. The most famous

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

s based on a Gałczyński text include the following: * "The Ballad about Two Sisters" ("Ballada o dwóch siostrach"), with music by Stanisław Staszewski, sung by

Kazik Staszewski Kazimierz Piotr Staszewski (born 12 March 1963), also known as Kazik, is a Polish singer and songwriter. He is the son of the architect and poet Stanisław Staszewski. He is the frontman of the band '' Kult'',Alexander Stephan, "The Americanizat ...

with Kult * "The Ballad about Two Sisters" ("Ballada o dwóch siostrach"), with music by Adam Sławiński, sung by Stan Borys * "The Ballad about Easter Ham" ("Ballada o Wielkanocnej szynce"), with music by Krzysztof Knittel, sung by Jan Kobuszewski * "Barbara Ubryk" ("Barbara Ubryk"), with music by Krzysztof Knittel, sung by Jan Kobuszewski * "What Have I Done?"/"What am I Guilty of?" ("Cóżem winien"), with music by Adam Tkaczyk, sung by Tkaczyk with Wyspy Dobrej Nadziei * "The Woodpecker and the Girl" ("Dzięcioł i dziewczyna"), sung by

Maryla Rodowicz Maria Antonina Rodowicz, known professionally as Maryla Rodowicz, (Polish pronunciation: born 8 December 1945 in Zielona Góra), is a Polish singer, guitarist and actress. Throughout over 50 years of her career, she released twenty Polish and f ...

* "The Woodbine" ("Dzikie wino"), music Wojciech Trzciński, sung by Magda Umer * "Today I Was Lying Again" ("Dziś znowu leżałem"), with music by Jerzy Derfel, sung by Jan Kobuszewski * "If You Were to Stop Loving Me One Day" ("Gdybyś mnie kiedyś"), with music by Tomasz Łuc, sung by Katarzyna Groniec *·"I Say! Let Us In" - II and III part of "Seven Heaven" poem ("Hola, wpuść nas!"), with music by Grzegorz Turnau, sung by Turnau * "Darling, My Darling" ("The Letter of the Prisoner") ("Kochanie moje, kochanie" – "List jeńca"), with music by A. Panas, sung by

Michał Bajor Michał Bajor (born 13 June 1957 in Głuchołazy, Poland) is a Polish actor and musician. Bajor’s songs are based on texts by Wojciech Młynarski, Jonasz Kofta, Andrzej Ozga, Marcin Sosnowski, and Julian Tuwim. He is a member of the Academy of th ...

* "Cocaine" ("Kokaina"), with music by Jerzy Derfel, sung by

Piotr Fronczewski Piotr Fronczewski (born 8 June 1946 in Łódź, Poland), is a Polish actor and a cabaret and theatre singer. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most popular actors of his generation. Life and career He was born to a Polish mother, Bogna ...

* "Lyric, lyric" ("Liryka, liryka"), with music by Grzegorz Turnau, sung by Turnau * "Mother Earth" ("Matka Ziemia"), with music by Stanisław Syrewicz, sung by Piotr Fronczewski * "A Prayer to Guardian Angel" ("Modlitwa do Anioła Stróża"), with music by Adam Tkaczyk, sung by Tkaczyk with Wyspy Dobrej Nadziei * "A Prayer to Guardian Angel" ("Modlitwa do Anioła Stróża"), with music by Robert Kasprzycki, sung by Kasprzycki and Janusz Radek * "Everything Will Turn Out Well" ("Na sto dwa"), with music by Jerzy Derfel, sung by Jan Kobuszewski * "A Night" ("Noc"), with music by the ProForma quartet, sung by Przemysław Lembicz with ProForma * "I Don’t Write Letters" ("Nie piszę listów"), sung by Mroku on the album ''Mroczne Nagrania'' * "To Rescue from Oblivion" ("Ocalić od zapomnienia"), with music by

Marek Grechuta Marek Michał Grechuta (10 December 1945 – 9 October 2006) was a Polish singer, songwriter, composer, and lyricist. Early life Grechuta was born on 10 December 1945 in Zamość, Poland. He studied architecture at Tadeusz Kościuszko University ...

, sung by Grechuta * "A Song" ("Piosenka"), with music by

Artur Gadowski Artur Gadowski (born 1 June 1967) is a Polish musician, vocalist of a rock band IRA (Polish heavy metal band), IRA. Biography Gadowski comes from a musical family. His father played the saxophone whereas his mother was a vocal instructor. His ...

, sung by Gadowski * "Lament over Izolda" ("Płacz po Izoldzie"), with music by Grzegorz, sung by Turnau * "A Pump" ("Pompa"), with music by Grzegorz Turnau, sung by Turnau * "A Request for Happy Islands" ("Prośba o wyspy szczęśliwe"), with music by Stanisław Syrewicz, sung by Magda Umer * "With Lunar Dust" ("Pyłem księżycowym"), with music by Stanisław Syrewicz, sung by Magda Umer * "Romance about Three Emigrant Sisters" ("Romanca o trzech siostrach emigrantkach"), with music by Wojciech Waglewski, sung by Jacek Bończyk * "A Secretary" ("Sekretarka"), with music by Ewa Kornecka, sung by Jacek Wójcicki * "An Owl" ("In a Dream…") ("Sowa" – "We śnie"), sung by Grzegorz Turnau * "The Confession of a Fool" ("Spowiedź kretyna"), with music by Stanisław Syrewicz, sung by Piotr Fronczewski * "A Poet’s Death" ("Śmierć poety"), with music by Stanisław Staszewski, sung by Kazik Staszewski with Kult * "A Poet’s Death" ("Śmierć poety"), with music by Włodzimierz Korcz, sung by

Marian Opania Marian Opania (, born 1 February 1943) is a Polish film actor and singer. He has appeared in more than 50 films since 1965. Biography He was born on 1 February 1943 in Puławy as the second son of Julian and Jadwiga. His father was a forester ...

* "In a Dream" ("We śnie"), with music by Adam Tkaczyk, sung by Adam Tkaczyk with Wyspy Dobrej Nadziei * "Spring Is Supposed To Come Back, Baroness" ("Wróci wiosna, baronowo"), with music by Stanisław Staszewski, sung by Kazik Staszewski with Kult * "An Invitation for the Trip" ("Zaproszenie na wycieczkę"), with music by Adam Tkaczyk, sung by Tkaczyk with Wyspy Dobrej Nadziei

Commemoration

Since 1998 a biennial poetry competition has been organised in Szczecin, named ''Gałczynalie'' in honour of the poet. A ''Green Goose'' foundation was formed in Warsaw in September 2007. Gałczyński was portrayed in the book ''

'' (''Zniewolony umysł'') by

; he is Delta. There is Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński Street in Warsaw.

Institutions named after Gałczyński

Approximately 30 schools in Poland are named after Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, among them Secondary School No 1 in

Otwock Otwock is a city in east-central Poland, some southeast of Warsaw, with 44,635 inhabitants (2019). Otwock is a part of the Warsaw Agglomeration. It is situated on the right bank of Vistula River below the mouth of Swider River. Otwock is hom ...

, Secondary School No 2 in

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...

, Gymnasium No 7 in Częstochowa, Primary School No 7 in Legnica, Gymnasium No 2 in

Stargard Szczeciński Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; formerly German: ''Stargard in Pommern'', or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; csb, Stôrgard) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 20 ...

and 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 ...

Secondary School No 20 and, until 2000, the former Primary School No 37. Gałczyński is also the

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of libraries, one

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

and the Happy Islands Foundation for Friends of Children with Cancer.

The Green Goose Theatre

Among Gałczyński's best known works are the satirical mini-pieces of the ''Green Goose Theatre'' ("Teatrzyk Zielona Gęś"). Several hundred of these ostensible dramas, usually only a few lines long, appeared in the Kraków literary journal ''Przekrój''. They frequently parody serious drama and cultural icons – in ''Hamlet and the Waitress'',

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

is unable to choose between coffee and tea in a café and expires from indecision to be buried in a coffin marked HAMLET IDIOT, while in ''Greedy Eve'' Adam fails to get a bite of the apple, causing the entire Bible to be "a total loss".Gerould, Daniel (ed.), ''Twentieth-Century Polish Avant-Garde Drama: Plays, Scenarios, Critical Documents'' (Cornell University Press 1977), pp.231, 237 The final curtain is frequently brought into the action, being variously scripted as falling "optimistically", as coming down accidentally and then going up again, or as being lowered by an anteater.

References

External links

Official Website of Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński -- English sub-site of the Polish website

Konstanty Ildefons Galczynski Museum

Biography

The Vices and Virtues of Versemaker Gałczyński
Culture.pl {{DEFAULTSORT:Galczynski, Konstanty Ildefons 1905 births 1953 deaths Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery Polish translators Polish military personnel of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by the Soviet Union World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Polish prisoners of war Writers from Warsaw 20th-century translators 20th-century Polish poets Polish male poets 20th-century Polish male writers People from Warsaw Governorate