Zygmunt Łanowski (31 July 1911 – 30 August 1989) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

translator of Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

literature.

Early life and education

Son of Feliks Łanowski and Wiktoria née Piwocki, he was born in

Tarnopol Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret (river), Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia (Central Europe ...

and attended the classical III State Male Gymnasium named after King Stefan Batory in

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. In the years 1930–35 he studied law and diplomacy at the

University of Lviv The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (named after Ivan Franko, ) is a state-sponsored university in Lviv, Ukraine. Since 1940 the university is named after Ukrainian poet Ivan Franko. The university is the oldest institution of highe ...

(University of John Casimir). After graduation, he became an assistant in the department of law at the same university. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was an officer of the Home Army, he was active in

Żegota Żegota (, full codename: the "Konrad Żegota Committee"Yad Vashem Shoa Resource CenterZegota/ref>) was the Polish Council to Aid Jews with the Government Delegation for Poland (), an underground Polish resistance organization, and part of th ...

and cooperated with the Delegate of the Government in Exile, Adam Ostrowski. He was also the head of the radio monitoring of the Information and Propaganda Bureau of the Lviv Area. In July 1944, after the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

entered Lviv, he was appointed adjutant to general

Władysław Filipkowski Władysław Filipkowski ( noms de guerre ''Cis'' and ''Janka''; 1 May 1892 – 17 April 1950) was a Polish military commander and a professional officer of the Polish Army. During World War II he was the commanding officer of the Armia Krajowa un ...

, then arrested by the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

. From August 2, 1944 to December 9, 1947, he was imprisoned by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

, first in the Diagilewo camp near

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

, then in the Shora camp in the

Mari ASSR The Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Mari ASSR) ( Mari: Марий Автоном Совет Социализм Республик, ''Mariy Avtonom Sovet Sotsializm Respublik'') was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR, succeeding ...

where he became seriously ill with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. At the end of 1947, he was transported back to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. In 1948, thanks to the help of the Swedish program ''Europahjälpen'', he ended up in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, where he underwent treatment and convalescence. From 1951 he was under the care of the Swedish humanitarian action, he spent almost eight years in Sweden and learned the Swedish language fluently. He returned to Poland in 1954 and settled in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. As a translator of Swedish literature, he made his debut in 1956 with the translation of Birger Vikström's short story Złote czas in the New signals magazine (Nowe signals, 1956, no. 8). He was the editor of an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

of Swedish poetry and stories and a translator of works published as part of the Series of Scandinavian Writers. Łanowski's translation output includes both the classics of Swedish literature (plays and novellas by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

, the prose of

Pär Lagerkvist Pär Fabian Lagerkvist (23 May 1891 – 11 July 1974) was a Swedish author who received the 1951 Nobel Prize in Literature. Lagerkvist wrote poetry, plays, novels, short stories, and essays of considerable expressive power and influence from hi ...

Artur Lundkvist Nils Artur Lundkvist (3 March 1906 – 11 December 1991) was a Swedish writer, poet and literary critic. He was a member of the Swedish Academy from 1968. Artur Lundkvist published around 80 books, including poetry, prose poems, essays, shor ...

Eyvind Johnson Eyvind Johnson (29 July 1900 – 25 August 1976) was a Swedish novelist and short story writer. Regarded as the most groundbreaking novelist in modern Swedish literature he became a member of the Swedish Academy in 1957 and shared the 1974 Nob ...

, anthologies of Swedish short stories and poetry), works of children's and youth literature ( Hans Peterson, Olle Matson), film scripts (

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

), travel literature ( Eric Lundquist,

Thor Heyerdahl Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and Ethnography, ethnographer with a background in biology with specialization in zoology, botany and geography. Heyerdahl is notable for his Kon-Tiki expediti ...

), sensational and criminal literature (Hans Krister Rönblom).

Awards

In 1968, he was the first Pole to receive the Swedish Academy award for translators of Swedish literature, and in 1977 an honorary doctorate from the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

. In 1981, he received the . He was also awarded the Knight's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

, the

Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland The Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland ( Polish: ''Medal 40-lecia Polski Ludowej'') is a former civil decoration of Poland established by the Sejm on 26 April 1984 to recognize the contribution of working people in the development of ...

, as well as the Swedish Knight's Cross of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

and the Knight's Cross of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

Translation works

* Frans Gunnar Bengtsson, Rudy Orm. ** Ingmar Bergman (film scripts) ** Laterna magicica ** Fanny and Alexander ** From the life of puppets ** Snake's egg ** Autumn Sonata ** Face to face * Lars Bergquist, Memoirs of Arronax * Rolf Blomberg ** Bufo blombergi: hikes and adventures (selection) ** Gold and anacondas *

Bo Carpelan Baron Bo Gustaf Bertelsson Carpelan (25 October 1926 – 11 February 2011) was a Finland-Swedish poet and author. He published his first book of poems in 1946, and received his PhD in 1960. Carpelan, who wrote in Swedish, composed numerous books ...

** Paradise ** Arch: a story about a summer that was different * Sven Delblanc ** Speranza: A Contemporary Novel ** The river of remembrance Per Olov Enqvist, Night of Tribad * Per Gunnar Evander. The last day in the life of Vale Hedman * Lars Gustafsson ** Death of the beekeeper ** Family holiday ** Wool *

Lars Gyllensten Lars Johan Wictor Gyllensten (12 November 1921 – 25 May 2006) was a Swedish author and physician, and a member of the Swedish Academy. Gyllensten was born and grew up in a middle-class family in Stockholm, son of Carl Gyllensten and Ingrid ...

, The Diary of Cain * Gunnar Harding, Poems (selection)

, Expedition Ra *

Tove Jansson Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, ...

, Summer *

** Clouds over Metapont ** The surf waves *

Sylvi Kekkonen Sylvi Kekkonen ( Uino; 12 March 1900 — 2 December 1974) was a Finnish writer and the longest-serving First Lady of Finland. Personal life and family Sylvi Uino was born to a middle-class family, as the fourth child of a chaplain (later vica ...

, Amalia *

Gösta Knutsson Gösta Lars August Knutsson (original surname Johansson; 12 October 1908 – 4 April 1973) was a Swedish radio producer and writer of a popular series of children's books about the cat ''Pelle Svanslös''. Gösta Knutsson was born in a middle-c ...

, The Adventures of Filonka Bezogonka *

** Angle ** Midget ** Mariamne ** Evil ** Sibyl ** Pilgrim ** A visitor, in fact * Halldor Kiljan Laxness, The Flutist *

Sara Lidman Sara Adéla Lidman (30December 192317June 2004) was a Swedish writer. Early life Born in Missenträsk, a village in present Skellefteå Municipality, Lidman was raised in the Västerbotten region of northern Sweden. She studied at the Univer ...

, Conversations in Hanoi * Gunnel Linde ** Our Eve's country ** Lurituri ** A white stone ** Lurituri *

Max Lundgren Max Lundgren (22 March 1937 – 27 May 2005) was a Swedish author of children's books. He debuted in 1962 with the book '' Hunden som äntligen visslade'', and wrote over 50 books. Some of his books have become TV series, among other ''Pojken med ...

, The Boy in the Golden Pants * Arthur Lundkvist ** The will of heaven ** Poetry in prose (selection) ** The Fall of Jericho: Stories (selection) ** Vindingen waltz ** Horses of the night and other stories about the world, people and myths (selection) ** Wind rose: travel experiences (selection) ** Frieze of life: novellas and short stories (selection) * Eric Lundquist, the Wilds are us * Olle Mattson ** Beach holiday ** Brig "Trzy Lilies" * Folke Mellvig, Shots in Kalmar *

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, so ...

, Smile at the Foot of the Ladder * Jan Olof Olsson, Margareta Sjögren Niż over Ireland * Hans Peterson ** Peter in the countryside ** It's me, Piotr * Pär Rådström, Murder * Hans Krister Rönblom, Death in a Pot *

** dramas: Miss Julia, Father, Creditors, Stronger, To Damascus, Erik XIV, Game of Dreams, Sonata of Ghosts, Dance of Death, Storm, Burnt, Krystyna, Sonata of Ghosts, Pelican, Master Olof, Colleagues, First Warning, Crimes and Crimes, Easter, Charles XII, Gustav III, Wielki Gościniec, Parias, ** novellas: Doll's house, Prize for virtue, Musiał, For payment, Remorse, Romantic sacristan from Rånö, Pastor's moose, Vow, Tailor arranges dances, Customs officer, Girls' love, Panning. ** manifestos: director's memorandum to members of the Intima Teatern ensemble * Per Olof Sundman ** Expedition ** Two days, two nights ** Mr. Andree's engineer overhead voyage *

Birgitta Trotzig Birgitta Trotzig (11 September 1929 – 14 May 2011) was a Sweden, Swedish writer who was elected to the Swedish Academy in 1993. She was one of Sweden's most celebrated authors, and wrote prose fiction and non-fiction, as well as prose poetry. B ...

, Barbara (translated together with Maria Olszańska) *

Mika Waltari Mika Toimi Waltari (; 19 September 1908 – 26 August 1979) was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel ''The Egyptian'' (). He was extremely productive. Besides his novels he also wrote poetry, short stories, crime novels, plays, ...

(translations from Swedish) ** Egyptian Sinuhe ** Karin, daughter of Mons ** A black angel ** Turms, immortal. ** Mikael Karvajalka ** Mikael Hakim * Maria Wine ** Poems (selection) ** A lion was shot: a selection of short stories and short stories (selection) Zygmunt Łanowski was also the author of the selection and the translator of works in the anthologies: * Human fate: an anthology of Swedish short stories and short stories. Poznań: Poznań Publishing House. 1965. * Roads in the Deep: an anthology of Swedish Sea Prose. Gdansk: Morskie Publishing House, 1971. * Ivory: Swedish novellas. Warsaw: Reader. 1972. * At the extreme seashore: an anthology of 20th century Swedish maritime poetry. Gdańsk: Morskie Publishing House, 1978. ISBN 83-215-6427-5 and editor of the following anthologies: * South of the Sahara: African Stories. Warsaw: State Publishing Institute, 1967. * Fertile granite: an anthology of Finnish fiction and stories. Poznań: Poznań Publishing House, 1970. * Werner Aspenström, Poems. Warsaw: UW Publishing House, 1976. * In the room of mirrors: an anthology of Swedish poetry (1928-1978). Poznań: Poznań Publishing House, 1980. ISBN 83-210-0075-4

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanowski, Zygmunt 1911 births 1989 deaths Polish translators Recipients of the Medal of the 40th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland