
Franciszek Ksawery Pruszyński (4 December 1907 – 13 June 1950) was a Polish journalist, publicist, writer and diplomat. He was one of the most active and operative of Polish newspaper reporters.
Biography
He was born in Wolica Kierekieszynanow in
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
in
Volhynia
Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...
. After the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
of 1917 his family settled in
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
. A graduate of the
Zakład Naukowo-Wychowawczy Ojców Jezuitów w Chyrowie in 1927, he studied law at
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...
. He joined the organization ''
Myśl Mocarstwowa'' (Imperial Thought). His works first appeared in ''
Dzień Akademicki'' and ''
Civitas Academica''. He specialized in medieval German law, taught by professor
Stanisław Estreicher. In 1929 he was deputy assistant to Estreicher.
He travelled all over Europe contributing articles to the leading Polish papers. He joined the editorial board of the newspaper ''
Czas'' from Kraków, first as a proofreader, then surveying the foreign press, and from 1930, author of a series of reports from Hungary. In 1932 he published his debut book, ''Sarajewo 1914, Szanghaj 1932, Gdańsk 193?'' (Sarajevo 1914, Shanghai 1932, Gdańsk 193?) about
Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
. In the 1930s he published in the magazine ''
Bunt Młodych'' (Youth Revolt) and was a member of the young conservatives. He travelled in
Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
in 1933 reporting for the
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
weekly ''
Słowo''. His book on Palestine was published in October 1933, ''Palestyna po raz trzeci'' (Palestine for the Third Time). During the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
in 1936 he was a correspondent in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
and supported the
Spanish Republican Army
The Spanish Republican Army () was the main branch of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939.
It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la República'' ...
,
staying at the famous
Hotel Florida (Madrid), then also inhabited by the likes of
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
. He wrote about Spain in the book ''W czerwonej Hiszpanii'' (In the Red Spain), published in 1937 (translated to Spanish as ''En la España roja'' in 2007). Before September 1939 he reported from Gdańsk. His article was published in July 1939 on the first page in the special issue of ''Wiadomości Literackie'' dedicated to Gdańsk.
After September 1939 he fought in the
Polish Armed Forces in the West
The Polish Armed Forces in the West () refers to the Polish Armed Forces, Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Allies of World War II, Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its Axis powers, allies during World War II. Poli ...
, and served in the
Battle of Narvik
The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War.
Th ...
(Norway 1940), and
Battle of Falaise (France 1944). He wrote about Scotland and Poles who came there in the book ''Polish Invasion'', published in October 1941 in London. He was a member of the Polish Embassy staff in Russia (1941–42). After this experience he wrote the book ''Russian Year: A Notebook of an Amateur Diplomat'', published in May 1944 in New York. During his stay in Russia he experienced such contrasts as a stay in a humble peasant's hut and a dinner in state with
Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
at the
Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...
. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote that Pruszyński "possesses a knowledge of Russian language, culture and history shared by very few recent foreign visitors to the Soviet Union. Add to this a keenly observant eye, a style that is always readable and sometimes brilliant, and one has the ingredients of one of the most informative books that have appeared on the Soviet Union at war.".
He wrote about Gdańsk in 1946 after its destruction and reminisce about pro-war attitude of the citizens of Gdańsk in 1939. During 1947-1948 he was the chairman of Subcommittee 1 and of the Working Group on Boundaries (as part of the UN
Ad Hoc Committee on the Palestinian Question). Between 1948 and 1950 he was a diplomatic representative (''poseł'') of PRL in the Netherlands.
At that time, he was associated with a Polish poet
Julia Hartwig. He died in unexplained circumstances on 13 June 1950 in a car accident in
Rhynern, south of
Hamm, about 50 miles northeast of
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
. He was buried at
Rakowicki Cemetery
Rakowicki Cemetery (English: ; ) is a historic necropolis and a cultural heritage monument located on 26 Rakowicka Street in Kraków, Poland. It lies within the Administrative District No. 1 ''Stare Miasto'' meaning "Old Town" – distinct from ...
in Kraków. Married to Maria Meysztowicz, he had three children: Aleksander, Maria and Stanisław (Stash).
Ryszard Kapuściński said of Pruszyński that thanks to him
reportage
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
has become not only the product of the eye, but also of the mind.
Selected bibliography
Works available in English
* ''Polish Invasion'' (London 1941, Edinburgh 2010) - about the mutual impact of Poles and Scots in wartime Scotland
* ''Poland Fights Back'' (London 1941, New York 1944)
* ''Russian Year'' (as Xavier Pruszyński, New York 1944) - about Russia
* ''Adam Mickiewicz: The Life Story of the Greatest Polish Poet'' (1950) - about
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...
Works currently unavailable in English
* ''Sarajewo 1914, Szanghaj 1932, Gdańsk 193?'' (1932) - about Gdańsk before the
Second World War
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 ...
* ''Palestyna po raz trzeci'' (1933) - about Palestine
* ''Podróż po Polsce'' (1937) - about Poland
* ''W czerwonej Hiszpanii'' (1937) - about the Spanish Civil War
* ''Droga wiodła przez Narvik'' (1941)
* ''Księga ponurych niedopowiedzeń'' (1941)
* ''1000 mil od prawdy'' (1941)
* ''Walczymy'' (1943)
* ''Margrabia Wielopolski'' (1944) - about
Aleksander Wielopolski
Margrave () Aleksander Ignacy Jan-Kanty Wielopolski (1803–1877) was a Polish aristocrat, owner of large estates, and the 13th lord of the manor of Pinczów. In 1862 he was appointed head of Poland's Civil Administration within the Russian Emp ...
* ''Trzynaście opowieści'' (1946)
* ''Karabela z Meschedu'' (1948)
* ''Opowieść o Mickiewiczu'' (1956) - about Adam Mickiewicz
* ''Wybór pism publicystycznych'' (volumes 1–2, 1966) - a selection of articles about Poland, Europe and the USA
* ''Wybór pism 1940-1945'' (1989) - a selection of articles originally published in newspapers between 1940 and 1945
* ''Publicystyka. Tom 1. 1931-1939. Niezadowoleni i entuzjaści'' (1990) - a selection of articles originally published in newspapers between 1931 and 1939
* ''Publicystyka. Tom 2. 1940-1948. Powrót do Soplicowa'' (1990) - a selection of articles originally published in newspapers between 1940 and 1948
Biographies
*
Zygmunt Ziątek, ''Ksawery Pruszyński''; Warsaw,
State Publishing Institute PIW, 1972
Further reading
* ''Contemporary Polish Short Stories'' selected by
Andrzej Kijowski ::''Not to be mistaken for Andrzej Tadeusz Kijowski, his son.''
Andrzej Kijowski (29 November 1928 – 29 June 1985) was a Polish literary critic, essayist and screenwriter.
Biography
Kijowski was born on 29 November 1928 in Kraków, Poland.
Ki ...
; Warsaw, Polonia Publishing House, 1960, English language - a selection of short stories (including Pruszyński's)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pruszynski, Ksawery
1907 births
1950 deaths
People from Volhynian Governorate
People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent
Polish male writers
Polish publicists
Jagiellonian University alumni
Polish military personnel of World War II
Polish war correspondents
20th-century Polish journalists
Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery
Road incident deaths in West Germany