Pawel Jasienica
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Paweł Jasienica was the pen-name of Leon Lech Beynar (November 10, 1909 - August 19, 1970), a Polish amateur historian, journalist, writer, soldier.
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Biography
He was born in the same place as Lenin, in Simbirsk to Russian Poles Mikołaj and Helena Maliszewski. His father was a Russian official and he and his family lived in Russia and the Ukraine until the Russian Revolution of 1917, after which the family returned to Poland (1920).
He a was soldier in the Polish army during World War II in 1939 and fought in the Polish September Campaign when Poland was invaded by the Nazi Germany. After the fall of Poland, he joined the Polish underground forces Armia Krajowa (AK) and continued the fight against the Germans.
Following the war he a was member of Wolność i Niepodległość (WiN, Freedom and Independence) and fought against the Soviets and Polish communists in the unit of major Zygmunt Szendzielarz ("Łupaszka"), where he suffered injuries.
He took his pen-name pseudonym from the name of the place where he had received treatment. As a civilian, he worked as a journalist and writer and became famous for his popular historical books about Piast Poland, Jagiellon Poland and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was famous for condemning nationalism and for his personal civil courage. There are numerous anecdotes about how he was congratulated for his courage by the censors. These acts led to his being labelled a political dissident, for which he suffered government persecution, and eventually death.
Many of his books have been translated into English language by Alexander Jordan and published by American Institute for Polish Culture.
He is buried in Warsaw, Powazki Cemetery.
Bibliography
- Polska Piastów (ISBN 8306010922), translated as Piast Poland (ISBN 188128400X)
- Polska Jagiellonów (ISBN 8306010922), translated as Jagiellonian Poland (ASIN B0006EAIEI)
- Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów ISBN 8306010930, three tomes:
- The Commonwealth of Both Nations: The Silver Age (ISBN 0870523945)
- Calamity of the Realm: The Commonwealth of Both Nations II (ISBN 1881284034)
- A Tale of Agony: The Commonwealth of Both Nations III (ISBN 1881284042)
- Rozważania o wojnie domowej, (ISBN 8308013503), Thought on Civil War - theoretically about Civil War in France, Bretony
- Pamiętnik (ISBN 830702336X), translated as Diary - started shortly before his death, not finished.
- Tylko o historii (ISBN 8307022088)
- Polska anarchia (ISBN 8308019706)
Quotes
- My home is not my castle. I am not master of my own drawer.
- I once knew a man, former Armia Krajowa cichociemny, who wrote a diary. (...) Last time I heard of him he was mining for coal in places not far away from the North Pole.
- A man is defenseless against privileges.
References
- Jasienica i inni , Marian Brandys, (ISBN 8320714923)
- Paweł Jasienica: Fragment biografii, wrzesien 1939-brygada Łupaszki 1945, Bernard Wiaderny,
(ISBN B0000EBLEJ)pl:Paweł Jasienica