Pola Gojawiczyńska, real name Apolonia Gojawiczyńska, née Koźniewska (1 April 1896 – 29 March 1963) was a Polish writer.

Biography

Early life

She was born in Warsaw as a daughter of a craftsman-carpenter. She studied in a public school but was expelled in 1905 after school strike. In 1914 her family relocated to

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 ...

. Apolonia left alone on her own started to work as a teacher in kindergartens, libraries and amateur theatres in Warsaw and vicinities. She sent her first writing drafts to

Gabriela Zapolska Maria Gabriela Stefania Korwin-Piotrowska (1857–1921), known as Gabriela Zapolska, was a Polish novelist, playwright, naturalist writer, feuilletonist, theatre critic and stage actress. Zapolska wrote 41 plays, 23 novels, 177 short stories, 25 ...

and gained her approval. During

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 ...

she was active in the independence movement and was a member of

Polish Military Organisation The Polish Military Organisation, PMO ( pl, Polska Organizacja Wojskowa, POW) was a secret military organization which formed during World War I (1914-1918). Józef Piłsudski founded the group in August 1914; it adopted the name ''POW'' in Novem ...

. Her first work was a short story ''Dwa fragmenty'' (Two Fragments), for which she was awarded by ''Echo Pragi'' magazine in 1915.

Literary progress

In 1920 she married Stanisław Gojawiczyński, and year later gave birth to daughter Wanda. Until 1926 lived in Bielsk Podlaski and worked in local administration. In 1931 Gojawiczyńska moved to Szarlej (currently neighbourhood of

Piekary Śląskie Piekary Śląskie () (german: Deutsch Piekar; szl, Piekary) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The north district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesia ...

). At that time

Zofia Nałkowska Zofia Nałkowska (, Warsaw, Congress Poland, 10 November 1884 – 17 December 1954, Warsaw) was a Polish prose writer, dramatist, and prolific essayist. She served as the executive member of the prestigious Polish Academy of Literature (1933–1939 ...

read her short story ''Dzieciństwo'' (Childhood) and ensured her

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

of National Culture Fund. In 1932 she published more works and began cooperation with ''

Gazeta Polska ''Gazeta Polska'' ( lit.: ''Polish Newspaper'') is a Polish language pro- United Right right-wing populist to far-right weekly magazine published in Poland. Profile and history Gazeta Polska was founded in 1993 and its editor-in-chief is Tomas ...

''.

During World War II

Gojawiczyńska spent

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 ...

near Warsaw. In 1943 she was arrested and jailed in

Pawiak Pawiak () was a prison built in 1835 in Warsaw, Congress Poland. During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia. During the World War II German occupation ...

prison in the section for women ''Serbia''. She described her experience of that time in memories ''Krata''. She was released from the prison as very ill, treated in the Saint Joseph Hospital. After the war she moved to

Łódź 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 cant ...

. She died on 29 March 1963 and is buried at

Powązki Cemetery Powązki Cemetery (; pl, Cmentarz Powązkowski), also known as Stare Powązki ( en, Old Powązki), is a historic necropolis located in Wola district, in the western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city and one of t ...

in Warsaw.

Summary

Pola Gojawiczyńska was one of the most popular women writers of the

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 Latin, ...

of interwar period. Her works included psychological themes and social themes connected with proletarian and small town environment of

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 ...

and

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

. Her works ''Dziewczęta z Nowolipek'' (Girls from Nowolipki) and ''Rajska jabłoń'' (Heavenly Apple tree) were later filmed. Gojawiczyńska was awarded Golden Cross of Merit and received award of the city of Warsaw for lifetime achievement, Commander's Cross of

Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

and Golden Badge of the Warsaw Renewal. She also received the Order of the Banner of Labour, 1st Class.

Works

* ''Joanna'' (1930) * ''Ucieczka'' (1930) * ''Górnoślązaczka'' (1932) * ''Powszedni dzień'' (1933) * ''Ziemia Elżbiety'' (1934) * ''Dziewczęta z Nowolipek'' (1935) * ''Rozmowy z milczeniem'' (1936) * ''Rajska jabłoń'' (1937) * ''Dwoje ludzi'' (1938) * ''Słupy ogniste'' (1938) * ''Krata'' (1945) * ''Stolica'' (1946) * ''Dom na skarpie'' (1947) * ''Miłość Gertrudy'' (1956) * ''Opowiadania'' (1956) * ''Stolica'' (1964) * ''Z serca do serca'' (1971) * ''Szybko zapomniane'' (1974)

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gojawiczynska, Pola 1896 births 1963 deaths Writers from Warsaw Burials at Powązki Cemetery Polish women writers Polish Military Organisation members Polish people of World War I Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work 20th-century Polish women