Adam Michnik in
Wrocław, March 2006
Adam Michnik (born October 17, 1946, Warsaw,
Poland) is the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza a
major Polish newspaper, where he sometimes writes under the pen-names of Andrzej Zagozda or Andrzej Jagodziński. In 1968-1989 he
was one of the leading organizers of the illegal, democratic opposition in Poland. Historian, essayist, political publicist. The
laureate of many awards, including a Knight of the Legion of Honour.
Family
He was born to Ozjasz (Uzziah) Szechter, a well-known Jewish communist (First secretary of the Communist Party of Western
Ukraine), and his wife Helena (née Michnik; pron.: "Meekhnick"), a children's writer and fervent Gentile communist. Michnik
describes himself as a Pole of Jewish origins.[1][2]
Education
While attending primary school, he was an active member of Walter’s Troop in Polish Scouts
Association (ZHP), which was leaded by Jacek Kuroń. During secondary school, the
Walter’s Troop was banned, and he began to participate in the Crooked Wheel Club's (Klub Krzywego Koła) meetings. After its
closing in 1962, with the encouragement from Jan Józef
Lipski and under Adam Schaff’s protection, he founded a discussion club Hunters of Contradiction Club (Klub Poszukiwaczy
Sprzeczności). Disappointed with life in the People's Republic of Poland, young people were discussing ways to change it. They
read and analyzed the classical texts of leftist thinkers.
In 1964 he began studying history at Warsaw University. A year later he was
suspended because he disseminated an open letter to the members of Polish United
Workers' Party (PZPR) among his school mates. Its authors, Jacek Kuroń and
Karol Modzelewski appealed to begin repairing the political system in Poland. In 1966
he was suspended for the second time for organizing a discussion meeting with Leszek
Kołakowski, who was expelled from the PZPR several weeks earlier, for criticising its leaders. In 1965, the
PZPR forbade his texts to be printed. Since that time he was writing under
a pseudonym to several newspapers, for example: “Życie Gospodarcze”, Więzi”, “Literatura”.
In March 1968 he was expelled from the University for his activities in the so-called
March Events (Wydarzenia Marcowe), that began after censors forbade an adaptation of
Mickiewicz’s “Dziady” to be performed in the
National Theater. He was arrested, and sentenced to three years imprisonment his “acts
of hooliganism”, chiefly for his participation in the March Events. In 1969, he was released from
prison under an amnesty, but he was forbidden to continue his studies. Not until the middle of the 1970s was he allowed to
continue his studies of hisory, which he finished at the Adam Mickiewicz
University in Poznań.
Opposition
After he was released from prison, he worked for two years as a welder at the Róża Luxemburg (Rosa Luxemburg) Industrial Plant and then, on the recommendation of Jacek
Kuroń, he became private secretary to Antoni Słonimski.
In 1976-1977 he lived in Paris. After he returned to Poland, he got involved in the activity of
Workers' Defence Committee (KOR), which had already existed for a couple of
months. It was one of the best known opposition organizations of the 70’s. He became one of the most active opposition activists
and also one of the supporters of the Society for Educational Courses (Towarzystwo Kursów
Naukowych).
Between 1977 and 1989, he was the editor or co-editor of underground newspapers published illegally, samizdat: „Biuletyn Informacyjny”, „Zapis”, „Krytyka”. He was
also a member of the management of one of the biggest underground publishers: NOWa.
In years 1980-1989 he was an adviser to both the Independent
Self-governing Trade Union "Solidarity" (NSZZ
„Solidarność”) in the Mazovia Region and to Foundry Workers Committee of “Solidarity”.
When martial law was declared, in December 1981, he was at first an internee, but when he
refused to sign, a ”loyalty oath” and assent to voluntarily leave the country, he was jailed and accused of an “attempt to
overthrow socialism”. He was in jail without a verdict until 1984, because the prosecutor’s office
prolonged the trial on purpose.
Adam Michnik demanded to end or dismiss his case and he wanted to be granted a status of a political prisoner, so he went on a
hunger strike in jail. In 1984 he was released from jail, under an amnesty.
He took part in an attempt to organize a strike in Gdańsk Shipyard. As a result, he was again arrested in 1985 and this time
sentenced to 3 years imprisonment. He was released in the next year again under the amnesty.
Activity since 1989
In 1988 he became an advisor of Lech Wałęsa’s informal Coordination Committee, and later
he became a member of the Solidarity Citizens' Committee. He took an
active part in planning and preliminary negotiations for the Round Table
Talks in 1989, in which he also participated. After the Round Table Talks, Lech Wałęsa told
him to organize a big Polish national daily, which was supposed to be an ‘organ’ of the Solidarity Citizens' Committee, before
the upcoming elections. This newspaper, under the Round Table agreement, was „Gazeta
Wyborcza” ("Election Newspaper"), because it was supposed to appear till the end of the parliamentary election in
1989. After organizing this newspaper on the basis of journalists who worked in the „Biuletyn
Informacyjny”, Adam Michnik became its editor-in-chief. In the elections to the Contract
Sejm on the 4th June 1989 he became a Member of Parliament
from Lech Wałęsa’s Solidarity Citizens' Committee electoral register, as a candidate for the city of Bytom.
Between the 12th April and 27th June 1990 Michnik together
with Bogdan Kroll, director of the central archive Archivum Akt
Nowych and historians Andrzej Ajnenkiel and Jerzy Holzer
had access to the archives of the Polish Ministry of Interior (MSW). This group was
called “Michnik’s Committee” and was brought into being by an initiative of the historian Henryk
Samsonowicz. The result of three months work was a short official report which stated that archives are incomplete.
Both as a Member of Parliament and as editor of “Gazeta Wyborcza” he actively
supported Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s government and his candidature in the
presidential election campaign against Lech Wałęsa in 1990. After the
break up of the Citizens’ Committee and Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s failure, Michnik halted
his direct involvement in politics and did not run for a seat in the next
parliamentary election, instead focusing on editorial and journalistic activities. Unter his leadership, “Gazeta Wyborcza”
was converted into a widely read and influential daily newspaper in Poland. On the basis of “Gazeta Wyborcza” assets
Agora SA partnership came into existence. Currently (in May 2004) it is one of the biggest
media concerns in Poland, administrating 11 titles monthly issued, portal gazeta.pl, outdoor advertising AMS, and shares in
several radio station. Adam Michnik does not have any shares in Agora and does not hold any office headship, excluding head
editor, which is unusual in economic field in Poland. Michnik’s shares are kept by Agora.
Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki in his expose in September 1989 used a term thick line which
began new so-called thick line politic. He is proponent and advocate of this term. In “Gazeta
Wyborcza” he used his personal influences to protect General Wojciech Jaruzelski and
General Czesław Kiszczak against social- political- judicial clearing campaign that
refers to different periods when they held party and civil functions in People’s Republic of
Poland (PRL). He postulated for quick and efficient adjudication of brought penal actions and to stop press battle.
Crucial role played a famous interview “Pożegnanie z bronią. Adam Michnik- Czesław Kiszczak.” by
Agnieszka Kublik and Monika Olejnik which was published
in “Gazeta Wyborcza” on 3 February 2001.
On the 27th December 2002 Adam Michnik and Paweł Smoleński
made so-called “Rywin gate” public and the inner history was supposed to be solved by specially
called select committee.
In autumn 2004 due to health problems (he fell for tuberculosis) he resigned from active
participation in editing “Gazeta Wyborcza” and passed his duties to editorial colleague Helena
Łuczywo.
At state of war anniversary, on the 13th December 2005, Michnik delivered exposition at
University of Warsaw (article published in “Gazeta Wyborcza”) in which he appealed to president Lech Kaczyński for statutory abolition for those who were responsible for the state of war. The article
was a response to information about instituting an inquiry by Institute of
National Remembrance (IPN) against General Jaruzelski. Michnik appealed about abolition even earlier- in 1991 (during the
exposition on Faculty of Law at University of Maria Curie- Skłodowska in Lublin (UMCS), “Gazeta w Lublinie” 11-12-1991) and also
in 2001 in the article “Stan wojenny 20 lat później” (“Gazeta Wyborcza” 12th December 2001).
In October 2006 recordings of conversations (that took place in September 2006) between Michnik
and a well known businessman Aleksander Gudzowaty have been revealed. The
conversations have been recorded behind the back of both participants by Gudzowaty’s security. The businessman has accused
journalists of Gazeta Wyborcza of being economical with the truth in their articles
describing enterprises of Aleksander Gudzowaty and his company “Bartimpex” in the power industry (the criticism concerned mainly
Andrzej Kublike and Witold Gadomski.)
The case of revealed conversations arouse controversy among some journalists, mostly steaming form the vulgar language used by
both interlocutors, from the announcements made by Michnik concerning punishing the two reporters pointed out by Gudzowaty and
revealing that the information of Gazeta Wyborcza come for the secret service. Part of the journalistic milieu (including the
columnists of Gazeta Wyborcza) defended Michnik, stating that they did not find the recorded conversations scandalous. Adam
Michnik in his commentary in Gazeta Wyborcza criticized the method used to reveal the
tapes and compared it to the methods used by KGB. He also denied alleged work of Gazeta Wyborcza for the secret service and its
participation in the conspiracy aimed at Aleksander Gudzowaty. Both the columnists
of Gazeta Wyborcza and some other journalists claim that the case of “Gudzowaty’s tapes” is exaggerated. According to others it
was revealed on purpose, to cover another scandal, that is the revealing of Renata Beger’s
recordings. He is a member of Association Polish Writers of and council on Foreign Relations.
Awards and distinctions
Publications
- Letters from Freedom: Post-Cold War Realities and Perspectives, translated by Jane Cave, 1998. (ISBN
0-520-21759-4)
- Church and the Left, (David Ost, editor), 1992. (ISBN 0-226-52424-8)
- Letters from Prison and Other Essays, translated by Maya Latynski, 1986. (ISBN 0-520-05371-0)
References
- ^ (Polish) [1] Polish memories - Jewish memories, article by A. Michnik, "Tygodnik Powszechny" No.
29, 16 July 1995.
- ^ http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=7922
External links
- Demenet, Philippe. "Adam
Michnik: The Sisyphus of democracy", interview, Unesco Courier, September 2001. Accessed February 4, 2006
- Cushman, Thomas. "Anti-totalitarianism as a Vocation: An Interview with Adam Michnik", Dissent Magazine, Spring 2004. Accessed
February 4, 2006
- Tennant, Agnieszka. [2] "Why Adam Michnik is Afraid of Theocracy: Confessions of a Democrat-Skeptic", Books and Culture magazine,
November 20, 2006. Acessed November 26, 2006
- Zbigniew Herbert o Michniku -
video
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