Adam Ważyk | |
|---|---|
 Adam Ważyk | |
| Born | Ajzyk Wagman (1905-11-17)17 November 1905 Warsaw,Russian Empire |
| Died | 13 August 1982(1982-08-13) (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Translator, Communist official |
| Language | Polish |
Adam Ważyk born Ajzyk Wagman (17 November 1905 – 13 August 1982)[1] was a Polish poet, essayist and writer born to a Jewish family inWarsaw. In his early career, he was associated with theKraków avant-garde led byTadeusz Peiper who publishedZwrotnica monthly. Ważyk wrote several collections of poetry inthe interwar years. His work during this period focused largely on the losses ofWorld War I.
As a member of theCommunist Party of Poland, Ważyk belonged to a group of left-wing writers active in Warsaw in the 1930s. At the onset ofWorld War II he escaped toLwów in theSoviet occupied part of Poland, where he published articles forCzerwony Sztandar (Red Banner).[2] Later, he joined theBerling Army aspolitical officer. After the war he was a very influential person. Initially a strong supporter of communism he became very critical later on. His "Poem for Adults" marks the end of thesocialist realism era in Polish literature.[2][3]
During the War, Ważyk fought alongside Soviet troops on theEastern Front, ending his military service with the victorious Lublin contingent. While still in thePolish Army, he foundedKuźnica, a Marxist literary weekly, which eventually merged withNowa Kultura. Ważyk served as the editor ofKuźnica from 1946 to 1950, and from 1950 to 1954, he was editor of the literary journalTwórczość. Although Ważyk was initially a strong supporter ofStalinism, he eventually rejected it, and criticised the results of Stalinism inPoland, at the time of its impending disintegration.
Ważyk is best remembered forA Poem for Adults ("Poemat dla dorosłych"), which he wrote in the summer of 1955, at the onset ofPolish October revolution. The poem was published in the 21 August edition ofNowa Kultura, a Polish literary weekly based in Warsaw – an official publication of the Association of Polish Writers controlled by the Communists. The fifteen-part poem paints a picture of grim reality of life in the Stalinist Poland and the falsehood of dogmatic propaganda.
In part four, Ważyk speaks with open and deliberate contempt about the construction workers:a motley crew of outcasts crowding in shacks, barracks and hotels ("zbieraną hałastrą tłoczą się w szopach, barakach, hotelach") driven by theirmongrel ambitions ("wielka migracja, skudlona ambicja") and dehumanizing the new Poland ("masa wędrowna, Polska nieczłowiecza"). The poem includes a memorable line in reference to Frenchutopian socialistFourier (part 12):They drink sea-water crying: lemonade! Return home secretly to vomit. It ends with a repeat call (part 15) fora just and congenial society built by the Communist Party ("Upominamy się na ziemi o ludzi spracowanych [...] upominamy się codziennie, upominamy się Partią").
The poem was an immediate success due to its strong critique of the Stalinist Poland. After publication, it was recognized as the strongest political criticism run by the communist controlled press thus far. As a result, the government fired the head ofNowa Kultura, Paweł Hoffmann, and made other changes to its staff. Ważyk was temporarily forced to remain silent. Newspapers and other official party organs were also instructed to denounce Ważyk and the poem. The association of Polish writers called a special session in order to condemn and expel Ważyk, however many writers supported Ważyk and he was not expelled.
Despite government efforts to censor the poem after its publication, it was widely read throughout Poland. The issue quickly sold out, and it began selling for high prices on the black market. Hand written copies of the poem were also widely circulated. The poem's publication gave Ważyk a tremendous amount of notoriety as a voice of dissent. He was praised not only for his eloquent critiques of the Stalinist regime, but also for his courage to make his views public. Ultimately disillusioned withGomułka and Polish communism, Ważyk (along with many others) left the communist party in 1957. He worked as translator in the following years.
