Zofia Chądzyńska or Sophie Bohdan (24 February 1912 – 23 September 2003), was a Polish writer and translator of the Iberoamerican literature. Her first book was published in French under a pseudonym of Sophie Bohdan, entitled "Comme l'ombre qui passe", Publisher: Paris : Calmann-Lévy (impr. Chantenay), 1960. Later she was publishing in Polish under her original name Zofia Chądzyńska.Zofia Chądzyńska - by Dr Leszek A. Błędzki
/ref> She was one of the most famous Polish writers in the 1970s and she changed the literary landscape in Poland by introducing the Iberoamerican literature.Janusz Płoński (2003) ''Rozmowa z Zofią Chądzyńską tłumaczką literatury iberoamerykańskiej''. Polityka 16(2397)April 19, 2003:100-101.

Biography

Polish and French years

She graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Academy of Political Science in Warsaw. From 1930 to 1939 she was a clerk in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Education. During World War II she was a prisoner of the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

at Pawiak (1940). After the war she lived in France where her husband, Bohdan Chądzyński, was a Polish consul in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

until 1949, then was exiled via Morocco to Argentina.Monika Piątkowska (2003) ''Wysokie obcasy''. Dodatek do Gazety Wyborczej 38(234) Saturday, 20 September 2003: 8-16.

Exile in Argentina

From 1949 until 1959 she lived in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, where she led the white linen laundry and befriended

Witold Gombrowicz Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 – July 24, 1969) was a Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937 he published his f ...

, who later became one of the most famous Polish writers. She helped him in daily life and also with translating his works into Spanish. She also introduced him to her friends, the Buenos Aires political and cultural elite. Under the influence of

Jean Reverzy Jean Reverzy (Balan, Ain, Balan, April 10, 1914–Lyon, July 9, 1959) is a French medical doctor from Lyon who won the Prix Renaudot in 1954 for ''Le Passage (novel), Le Passage'' ("The Passage"), his first novel. It described the slow anguish ...

, whom she knew from

, she started writing her own book. Many years later she translated his two books into Polish. Her beloved husband Bohdan died early in 1951 and her father (who was a friend of

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

) died two weeks after him, but in Poland).Zofia Chądzyńska (2003) ''Co mi zostało z tych lat''. (Akapit Press 1996); New edition as: ''Nie wszystko o moim życiu'' (Akapit Press 2003) - autobiography

Years in Poland

When her first books were published almost simultaneously, one in French in Paris and the other one in Polish in Warsaw, she moved back to Poland in 1960, and she lived in Warsaw. During her travel from Argentina to Poland she read a book

Hopscotch Hopscotch is a popular playground game in which players toss a small object, called a lagger, into numbered triangles or a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces and retrieve the object. It is a ch ...

Julio Cortázar Julio Florencio Cortázar (26 August 1914 – 12 February 1984; ) was an Argentine, nationalized French novelist, short story writer, essayist, and translator. Known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, Cortázar influenced an ent ...

, which she got from her friends. This inspired her to translate it into Polish. This was a great success, and Cortázar (later her good friend) was more popular in Poland than in any other country. Later she was publishing her own books and translated almost a hundred Iberoamerican books into Polish.B.N. Łopieńska & M. Grynberg (1996) ''Zofia Chądzyńska''. Twój Styl 10(75)Październik, 1996: 20-24.

Novels

as Sophie Bohdan published in French

* ''Comme l'ombre qui passe : roman'' Publisher: Paris : Calmann-Lévy (impr. Chantenay), 1960

as Zofia Chądzyńska published in Polish

* ''Ślepi bez lasek'' (Czytelnik 1959, 1970); New edition as: ''Śpiew muszli'' (Akapit Press, 1995, 2003) * ''Chemia'' (Czytelnik 1962) * ''Ryby na piasku'' (Czytelnik 1965) * ''Skrzydło sowy'' (PIW 1967) * ''Przez Ciebie, Drabie'' (Nasza Księgarnia 1969, 1972, 1974, 1979, 1984) * ''Życie za życie'' (Nasza Księgarnia 1971, 1973; Wydawnictwo Lubelskie 1979 in series of Biblioteka młodych); New edition as: ''Rekma, czyli Życie za życie'' (Akapit Press, 1995) * ''Statki, które mijają się nocą'' (Nasza Księgarnia 1975, 1989, Hamal Books 1994, Akapit Press 2002) * ''Wakacje z Zygą'' (Młodzieżowa Agencja Wydawnicza 1977) * ''Wstęga pawilonu'' (Nasza Księgarnia 1978, 1982, Akapit Press 1996, Siedmioróg 2000; on an honorary list of Lista Honorowa IBBY) * ''Dorosnąć'' (Nasza Księgarnia 1987, Hamal Books 1994, Siedmioróg 2000, Akapit Press 2002) * ''Co mi zostało z tych lat'' (Akapit Press 1996); New edition as: ''Nie wszystko o moim życiu'' (Akapit Press 2003) - autobiography

Translations (selection)

* Jorge Luis Borges, ''Alef'' - original title: ''

El Aleph "The Aleph" (original Spanish title: "El Aleph") is a short story by the Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. First published in September 1945, it was reprinted in the short story collection, '' The Aleph and Other Stories'', in 1949, ...

'',

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

, essays and short stories. A slightly expanded edition was published in

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

. English title: ''The Aleph and Other Stories 1933-1969'' (). * Jorge Luis Borges, ''Księga piasku'' - original title:'' El libro de arena'',

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, short stories, English title: ''The Book of Sand'',

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

. * Jorge Luis Borges, ''Opowiadania'' (

Wydawnictwo Literackie Wydawnictwo Literackie (abbreviated WL, lit. "Literary Press") is a Kraków-based Polish publishing house, which has been referred to as one of Poland's "most respected". Company history Since its foundation in 1953, Wydawnictwo Literackie has b ...

1978) * Jorge Luis Borges, ''Raport Brodiego'' - original title: ''El informe de Brodie'', short stories,

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

. English title: ''Dr. Brodie's Report'', 1971. * Jorge Luis Borges, ''Twórca'' (with Krystyna Rodowska) * Jorge Luis Borges with Margarity Guerrero, ''Zoologia fantastyczna'' (Warszawa 1983)- original title: '' Manual de zoología fantástica'',

, short pieces about imaginary beings, written with Margarita Guerrero. * Julio Cortázar, ''Egzamin'' (1991) - original title: ''El examen'' (1950, first published in 1985) * Julio Cortázar, '' Gra w klasy'' (wyd. I: 1968, Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza Czytelnik - original title:'' Rayuela'' (''Hopscotch'') (1963) * Julio Cortázar, ''Książka dla Manuela'' (

1980) - original title: ''

Libro de Manuel ''Libro de Manuel'' is a novel by Julio Cortázar, first published in 1973. It was later translated into English by Gregory Rabassa and published in the US as ''A Manual for Manuel.'' Cortázar's only explicitly political novel, it was written ...

'' (1973) * Julio Cortázar, ''Niewpory'' (

, 1989) * Julio Cortázar, ''Nikt, byle kto...'' (

1981) * Julio Cortázar, ''Opowiadania'' * Julio Cortázar, ''Opowieści o kronopiach i famach'' * Julio Cortázar, ''Ostatnia runda'' * Julio Cortázar, ''Ośmiościan'' (

1977) * Julio Cortázar, ''Proza z obserwatorium'' (

1986) * Julio Cortázar, ''Tango raz jeszcze'' (

1983) * Julio Cortázar, ''W osiemdziesiąt światów dookoła dnia'' (CZytelnik 1976) * Julio Cortázar, ''Wielkie wygrane'' * Jose Donoso, ''Plugawy ptak nocy'' (Czytelnik 1975) * Griselda Gambaro, ''Bóg nie lubi szczęśliwych'' (Wydawniztwo Literackie 1984) * Gabriel Garcia Marquez, ''Bardzo stary pan z olbrzymimi skrzydłami'' (Muza 2001; with Carlos Marrodan Casas) * Rita Gombrowicz, ''Gombrowicz w Argentynie. Świadectwa i dokumenty 1939-1963'' (with Anna Husarska) * Tom Kempiński, ''Odchodzić'' (sztuka teatralna) * Roma Mahieu, ''Poobiednie Igraszki'' (sztuka teatralna) * Jean Reverzy, ''Odejście'' (

1981) * Jean Reverzy, ''Plac trwogi'' (

1981)

References

External links

Mariusz Kubik - Portrety pisarzy: Zofia Chądzyńska, "Gazeta Uniwersytecka UŚ", nr 8 (75)/maj 2000; Uniwersytet Śląski, Katowice

* [http://gu.us.edu.pl/index.php?op=artykul&rok=2002&miesiac=3&id=2251&type=norm Mariusz Kubik, Marcin Pilis - Portrety pisarzy: Julio Cortazar, czyli gra wyobraźni, "Gazeta Uniwersytecka UŚ", nr 6 (95) / marzec 2002; Uniwersytet Śląski, Katowice]
Monika Piątkowska - Portrety kobiet: Zofia Chądzyńska, Wysokie Obcasy, wrzesień 2003

Mariusz Kubik - Ten błysk, rytm, magia słów. O Zofii Chądzyńskiej (24 II 1912 - 23 IX 2003), Zeszyty Literackie, nr 85/2004, Warszawa, zima 2004

Cortazar w Polsce - wspomnienia tłumaczki, Portal Księgarski, 20.12.2004

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chadzynska, Zofia 1912 births 2003 deaths Polish women novelists 20th-century Polish novelists 20th-century women writers Translators of Jorge Luis Borges Translators of Julio Cortázar