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Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz (; 10 August 1898 – 20 September 1939) was a Polish writer, journalist and author of over a dozen popular
Tadeusz Dołęga Mostowicz. Biography.
Wirtualna Biblioteka Literatury Polskiej (Virtual Library of Polish Literature). Retrieved 18 February 2016. After the
While working at printing houses, Mostowicz sent short stories to newspapers and was finally discovered to be a talented reporter. From 1925 he was on the staff of the daily '' Rzeczpospolita'' (''The Republic''), one of the most influential newspapers in Poland. About that time he adopted the pen name ''"Dołęga"'', after his mother's ''Dołęga'' coat of arms. While a journalist, he began publishing short stories and pamphlets, many of which achieved considerable popularity.
In 1928 he quit his journalistic job and devoted himself full-time to writing fiction. The following year he finished his first novel, and in 1930 published it as ''Ostatnia brygada'' (''The Last Brigade''). However, it was not until 1932 that he became famous as the author of '' Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy'' (''The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma''), the most popular of his books. Initially serialized in newspapers, the novel proved a major success. Thereafter Mostowicz wrote an average of 2 novels a year. His monthly income is estimated to have exceeded 15,000 zlotys, some 2,800 1939
Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolega-Mostowicz, Tadeusz 1898 births 1939 deaths People from Hlybokaye district People from Disnensky Uyezd Polish male novelists 20th-century Polish novelists 20th-century Polish male writers Polish Army officers Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military personnel killed in World War II Burials at Powązki Cemetery 20th-century Polish journalists
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
s. One of his best known works, which in Poland became a byword for fortuitous careerism, was '' The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma'' (, 1932). Literary historians believe the book inspired the 1971 novel ''Being There
''Being There'' is a 1979 American satirical comedy-drama film starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, and Melvyn Douglas. Directed by Hal Ashby, it is based on the 1971 novel '' Being There'' by Jerzy Kosiński, and adapted for the scr ...
'' by Jerzy Kosiński, with some charging Kosiński with plagiarism, which sparked considerable controversy in the West.
Life and work
Tadeusz Mostowicz, the son of a wealthy Polish lawyer in the age of partitions, was born on 10 August 1898 at his family's village of Okuniewo nearVitebsk
Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...
in 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 ...
(now Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
). After graduating from ''gimnazjum'' (high school) in Vilna (now 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 ...
, Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
), then also in the Russian Empire, in 1915 Tadeusz embarked upon law studies at the University of Kyiv while the First World War raged on in Central Europe
Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...
. He befriended numerous fellow members of the Polish diaspora and became involved in a local underground group of the '' Polska Organizacja Wojskowa'' (Polish Military Organization, abbreviated ''"POW"'' in Polish).Prof. dr hab. Anna MartuszewskaTadeusz Dołęga Mostowicz. Biography.
Wirtualna Biblioteka Literatury Polskiej (Virtual Library of Polish Literature). Retrieved 18 February 2016. 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 ...
, Okuniewo was seized by Bolshevik Russia, and Mostowicz's family moved back to newly reborn Poland, where they bought a small village. Also in 1918, Tadeusz moved to 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 ...
, where he joined the Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...
. He fought as a volunteer in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–21, and was demobilized in 1922.
While working at printing houses, Mostowicz sent short stories to newspapers and was finally discovered to be a talented reporter. From 1925 he was on the staff of the daily '' Rzeczpospolita'' (''The Republic''), one of the most influential newspapers in Poland. About that time he adopted the pen name ''"Dołęga"'', after his mother's ''Dołęga'' coat of arms. While a journalist, he began publishing short stories and pamphlets, many of which achieved considerable popularity.
In 1928 he quit his journalistic job and devoted himself full-time to writing fiction. The following year he finished his first novel, and in 1930 published it as ''Ostatnia brygada'' (''The Last Brigade''). However, it was not until 1932 that he became famous as the author of '' Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy'' (''The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma''), the most popular of his books. Initially serialized in newspapers, the novel proved a major success. Thereafter Mostowicz wrote an average of 2 novels a year. His monthly income is estimated to have exceeded 15,000 zlotys, some 2,800 1939 US dollar
The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
s.
During the Invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
in 1939, Dołęga-Mostowicz was mobilized and served as commanding officer of an outpost defending a bridge over the Cheremosh River at the town of Kuty in southeastern Poland. On 22 September 1939, he was killed in a skirmish with the advancing Soviet 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 ...
. Resulting from this, most of his books were banned in Stalinist Poland after the communist takeover.Zbigniew Żmigrodzki, ''Cenzura PRL'', Posłowie; Wrocław 2002, page 10.
In 1978 his remains were exhumed and on 24 November interred at Warsaw's Powązki Cemetery.
Novels
* ''Ostatnia brygada (The Last Brigade)'' (1930/1932) * '' Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy (The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma)'' (1931/1932) * ''Kiwony'' (1932/1987) * ''Prokurator Alicja Horn (Prosecutor Alice Horn)'' (1933) * ''Bracia Dalcz i S-ka (Brothers Dalcz i S-ka)'' (1933) * ''Trzecia płeć (The Third Sex)'' (1934) * ''Świat pani Malinowski (Mrs. Malinowska's World)'' (1934) * ''Złota Maska (The Golden Mask)'' (1935) * ''Wysokie Progi'' (1935) * ''Doktor Murek zredukowany (Doctor Murek Reduced)'' (1936) * ''Drugie życie doktora Murka (The Second Life of Doctor Murek)'' (1936) * '' Znachor (The Quack)'' (1937) * ''Ich dziecko (Their Baby)'' (1937) * ''Trzy serca (Three Hearts)'' (1938) * ''Profesor Wilczur'' (1939) * ''Pamiętnik pani Hanki (Mrs. Hanka's Diary)'' (1939)Film adaptations
Most of his novels have been filmed:See also
* Politics in fiction *List of Poles
This is a partial list of notable Polish people, Polish or Polish language, Polish-speaking or -writing people. People of partial Polish heritage have their respective ancestries credited.
Physics
*Miedziak Antal
* Czesław Białobrzesk ...
References
*Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolega-Mostowicz, Tadeusz 1898 births 1939 deaths People from Hlybokaye district People from Disnensky Uyezd Polish male novelists 20th-century Polish novelists 20th-century Polish male writers Polish Army officers Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military personnel killed in World War II Burials at Powązki Cemetery 20th-century Polish journalists