Konrad Prószyński (19 February 1851 – 8 July 1908), ''See also:''&nbs
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, was a Polish writer and editor from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He was the author of primers (textbooks),

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of '' Gazeta Świąteczna'' (''Holiday Gazette''); the founder of secret Society for National Education (Towarzystwo Oświaty Narodowej) under foreign Partitions, and the author of well received ''Pictorial Literacy'' (1879) primer. He was father of a Polish inventor

Kazimierz Prószyński Kazimierz Prószyński (4 April 1875 – 13 March 1945) was a Polish inventor active in the field of cinematography. He patented his first film camera, called Pleograph, before the Auguste and Louis Lumière, Lumière brothers, and later went o ...

Career

Prószyński began teaching at the age of 23. In the summer of 1874 he set up a study course for illiterate adults around

Kałuszyn Kałuszyn is a town in Poland, seat of the Gmina Kałuszyn (commune) in Mińsk County in Masovian Voivodeship. History In the Middle Ages, a filial church of the Catholic parish in Grębków was built. In 1472, it was upgraded to a parish chur ...

and Mrozów villages in

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

. In 1875, he published his first folding poster to be used by students as the on-the-wall primer. It was his first great publishing success, printed in 5,000 copies and sold out in less than a month. It was reprinted again, this time with 15,000 copies in country-wide circulation. He signed his publications with a literary pseudonym (a ray of light). Due to broad popularity of his first educational poster, towards the end of 1875 Prószyński wrote the first of his three most important works: ''Primer, Where You Learn to Read in 5 or 8 Weeks'' (, 1875); printed in more than a million copies in the next 33 years. It has been described as the first modern elementary

primer Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature * Primer (textbook), a te ...

. Also in 1875, he wrote (''On Father

Stanisław Staszic Stanisław Wawrzyniec Staszic (baptised 6 November 1755 – 20 January 1826) was a leading figure in the Polish Enlightenment: a Catholic priest, philosopher, geologist, writer, poet, translator and statesman. A physiocrat, monist, pan-Sla ...

'') whose experience inspired him; as well as his next educational volume: "Pierwsza książeczka dla wprawy w czytaniu" (''First Book for Practice in Reading'', 1875). On top of that, on May 1, 1875 along with two friends and co-conspirators, Prószyński signed a founding act of the highly secretive (Society for National Education). His publications became a financial downpour for his publisher, but not for Prószyński who received little royalty. He decided to print and distribute his works by himself. In 1878 he formally registered his own publishing company called Konrad Prószyński National Bookstore (). This step turned into the journey of a lifetime combining a publishing venue with a mail-order service.

Broad recognition

Prószyński wrote and self-published the next versions of his primer, as well as new textbooks for self-education and self-directed learning, including ''The Pictorial Book for Reading and Writing'' (, 1879). The book was sent to England in 1893 for an exhibition organized by the British scientific society (the 1893 International Exhibition by the Pedagogical Society of London). There, it won the first prize in its own category, as the best primer in the world. In 1880 Prószyński applied to the Tsarist authorities for a permit to publish a Polish-language weekly. His ''Holiday Gazette'' () first appeared in January 1881. He published it alone, although he was denied the more formal role of its editor-in-chief. He distributed it via regular mail by subscription. The gazette was one of his longest-lasting endeavours, held for the next 28 years, until the end of his life. It was under constant attack by Russian censorship. Thanks to prior contacts established for the distribution of primers, the Gazette was sent as far as North and South America, as well as Africa and Asia. Those foreign editions often carried articles that were censored in the Polish edition. Prószyński died in 1908, three years after the Polish Revolution of 1905. He was buried at the

Powązki Cemetery Powązki Cemetery (; ), also known as Stare 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 the oldest, having been established in 179 ...

in Warsaw. His tombstone is adorned with the sculpture by Czesław Makowski. The Holiday Gazette (Holiday Newspaper) kept on publishing thanks to his family until September 1939.

Career

Broad recognition

References

Further reading