Julian Tuwim (the surname comes from the Hebrew "טובים," "tovim," "good"; September 13,
1894 – December 27, 1953) was a
Polish poet born in Łódź, Congress Poland, Russian Empire and educated in Łódź and
Warsaw (he studied law and philosophy at Warsaw University). In 1919 Tuwim co-founded the
Skamander group of experimental poets with Antoni
Słonimski and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. He was a major figure in
Polish literature, known also for his contribution to children's literature.
Life and work
Initially Tuwim’s poetry, like that of the other "Skamandrites," represented a decisive break with turn-of-the-century
mannerism and decadent language; and an expression of vitality, optimism, and praise of urban life; introduction of everyday life
in a city, with its triviality and vulgarism, to poetry. In his poems Tuwim often used “regular” language as well as dialogue.
Characteristic for this period are collections Czyhanie na Boga [Lurking for God] (1918),
Sokrates tańczący [Dancing Socrates] (1920), Siódma jesień [The Seventh Autumn]
(1922), and Wierszy tom czwarty [Poems. the Volume Four] (1923).
In his later collections — Słowa we krwi (Words in Blood, 1926), Rzecz Czarnoleska (A Czarnolas Thing, 1929), Biblia cygańska (A Gypsy Bible, 1933) and Treść gorejąca (Burning
Matter, 1933) — Tuwim becomes restless and bitter, and writes with fervor and vehemence of the emptiness of urban existence. He
also draws more from romantic and classicist traditions,
while perfecting his form and style, and becoming a virtuoso of word and language.
Memorial to Tuwim in
Łódź.
From the very beginning and throughout his artistic career, Tuwim was satirically inclined. He
supplied sketches and monologues to numerous cabarets. In his poetry and columns, he derided
obscurantism and bureaucracy as well as
militaristic and nationalistic trends in politics. His
best satiric poem is regarded to be the burlesque, "The Ball at the Opera" ("Bal w
operze," 1936).
In 1918 Tuwim co-founded the cabaret, "Picador," and he worked as writer or artistic director with many other cabarets such as
Czarny kot [Black Cat] 1917–1919, Qui pro Quo
1919–1932, Banda [Gang] and Stara Banda [Old Gang]
1932–1935 and finally Cyrulik Warszawski [Barber of Warsaw]
1935–1939. Since 1924 Tuwim was staff
writer of Wiadomości Literackie [Literary News] where he wrote weekly column Camera Obscura as well as for satiric
magazines: Cyrulik Warszawski [Barber of Warsaw] and Szpilki [Pins].
Sharp wit
| At a party sometime in the 1930s, Adolf Nowaczyński, a writer
and columnist known for his sharp tongue, nationalism and antisemitism, proposed a toast:
“There would be no Polish literature without Mickiewicz, there would be no Mickiewicz
without Pan Tadeusz,* and there would be no Pan Tadeusz without Jankiel* —
hurray for Tuwim!”
To which Tuwim replied:
“There would be no Polish literature without Mickiewicz, there would be no Mickiewicz without Pan Tadeusz, nor a Pan
Tadeusz without Jankiel. And there would be no Jankiel without dulcimers* — hurray for
Nowaczyński!”
Pan Tadeusz — an 1834 epic poem by Adam Mickiewicz about Polish gentry in Lithuania during Napoleonic War
Jankiel — Jewish innkeeper and musician playing on dulcimer in Pan Tadeusz
dulcimers — in Polish, the name of musical instrument cymbały is a plural form of cymbał, which means,
somewhat humorously but not vulgarly, a stupid person.
|
World War II and after
In 1939, at the beginning of World War II and Nazi
Germany's occupation of Poland, Tuwim emigrated first through Romania to France, and after France’s capitulation, to Brazil, by way of Portugal, and finally to the USA, where he settled in 1942. During that time he wrote Kwiaty Polskie [Polish Flowers], an outstanding epic poem in which he
remembers with nostalgia, his early childhood in Łódź. In April 1944 he published a manifesto,
entitled My, Żydzi polscy ("We Polish Jews") which expresses great fury experienced by the poet.
Tuwim returned to Poland after the war, in 1946.
Tuwim’s other works include a collection of poems for children Lokomotywa [Locomotive] (1938, tr. 1940)—Julian Tuwim and Jan Brzechwa
are two most famous authors of children poems in Poland—and brilliant translations of
Pushkin and other Russian poets. Russian Soviet poet Yelizaveta Tarakhovskaya translated
most of Tuwim's children's poetry into Russian.
Although Tuwim is known mostly for writing poetry for children and satiric works, he has also written many serious works.
Probably the most important example is Do prostego człowieka [The Common Man] poem from 1929, written ten years before the World War II started. First published in October
7, 1929 in Robotnik [Workman], it started a storm of personal attacks on Tuwim,
mostly from antisemitic followers of Polish right wing criticizing Tuwim’s
pacifistic views. In his later years, Tuwim penned several works glorifying Joseph
Stalin.
See also
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
