Seweryna Szmaglewska (Seweryna Maria Szmaglewska-Wiśniewska) (February 11, 1916 – July 7, 1992) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

writer, known for both books for children and adults alike, and an inmate of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War II. Her novels ' (''Black Feet'') and ' (''Smoke over Birkenau'') are compulsory reading in Polish schools.

Biography

She was born on February 11, 1916, in Przygłów near

Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the second-largest city situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. Previously, it was the capita ...

, then in

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

-occupied part of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

. She graduated from the Free Polish University and went on to study at the Polish language and literature faculties of the Jagiellonian University of Cracow and the

Łódź University Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

. Between 1942 and 1945 she was an inmate of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp after spending two months in the prisons of Piotrków and Częstochowa. In 1945 she successfully escaped the Nazis during a "

death march A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinguished in this way from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Conven ...

".Jacek Lachendro, ''Ucieczki więźniów KL Auschwitz w czasie marszu śmierci. Pomoc mieszkańców Śląska dla uciekinierów''. In: "Kierunek Loslau. Marsz ewakuacyjny więźniów oświęcimskich w styczniu 1945 roku", Wodzisław Śląski 2016"Życie i twórczość Seweryny Szmaglewskiej"
/ref> As a Nazi camp survivor, she was one of two Poles to testify at the

Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany invaded m ...

. Her testimony concerned the abuse of children in Auschwitz. After the war she went on to be a successful writer. Initially focusing on her war-time experiences (' (''Smoke over Birkenau''), ''Łączy nas gniew'', ''Niewinni w Norymberdze''), with time she also started publishing novels for teenagers. Her best-known novel ' (''Black Feet''; published in 1960) was later turned into a 1986 film (premiered in 1987) by . In 1973 the continuation of the novel, ''Nowy ślad Czarnych Stóp'' (''A New Trail of Black Feet''), was published. Her novels ''Czarne Stopy'' and ''Dymy nad Birkenau'' are compulsory reading in Polish schools In 1946 she married Witold Wiśniewski, whom she met earlier in Oświęcim. They had two sons: Witold and Jack. Seweryna Szmaglewska died on July 7, 1992, in Warsaw and was interred in

Bródno Cemetery :''You may also be looking for the Bródno Jewish Cemetery.'' Bródno cemetery ( pl, Cmentarz Bródnowski) is an old cemetery in the Targówek district, in the eastern part of Warsaw, Poland. Occupying an area of , it is the largest cemetery in Wa ...

Awards and decorations

Her awards include: *Złotym Krzyżem Zasługi (1953), *Krzyżem Komandorskim Orderu Odrodzenia Polski (1960), *Nagrodą I stopnia Ministra Kultury i Sztuki za całokształt twórczości literackiej ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem „Dymów nad Birkenau” i „Niewinnych w Norymberdze” (1973), *Orderem Sztandaru Pracy I klasy (1978). *Nagrodą specjalną Kwatery Głównej ZHP za powieść „Nowy ślad Czarnych Stóp” (1979)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szmaglewska, Seweryna 1916 births 1992 deaths Polish children's writers 20th-century Polish novelists Polish women children's writers Auschwitz concentration camp survivors People from Piotrków County Burials at Bródno Cemetery 20th-century Polish women Witnesses in the Nuremberg Trials