Jacques Rossi
Encyclopedia
Jacques Rossi was a Polish-French writer and polyglot
. Rossi was best known for his books on the gulag
.
He was born as Franz Xaver Heyman and was the son of an architect Martin (Marcin) Heyman and Léontine Charlotte Goyet who was for a time governess in Kalisz
. In 1962, in Poland, he changed name from Franciszek Ksawiery Heyman to Jacek Franciszek Rossi - perhaps in recognition of his real father's name. He was a member of the Communist Party of Poland
as well as of the comintern
. He participated in the Spanish Civil War. At one time, he worked for Leon Trotsky and interpreted for Stalin. In 1937, he was called to Moscow and, most likely due to his prior connection with Trotsky, was imprisoned in Soviet camps until after Stalin's death in 1953. In 1961 he returned to Warsaw with the help of his brother Piotr Heyman. A polyglot
, he was a lecturer in the University of Warsaw
School of Foreign Languages under the name Jacek Rossi. He lived in Warsaw till about 1980. In 1985 he traveled to France and was naturalized
as French citizen. In the late 1980s, he spent time as a visiting scholar at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. where he wrote his memoires and an "encyclopedia on the gulag" as he referred to it in conversation.
As Jacques Rossi he wrote about his experiences of the gulag
- The Gulag handbook which was originally written in Russian and was translated into French (1997), English (1987), Japanese (1996), Czech (1999), Italian (2006).
At the end of his life he recorded series of interviews which were subsequently published as Jacques, le Français : pour mémoire du Goulag.
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
. Rossi was best known for his books on the gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
.
He was born as Franz Xaver Heyman and was the son of an architect Martin (Marcin) Heyman and Léontine Charlotte Goyet who was for a time governess in Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
. In 1962, in Poland, he changed name from Franciszek Ksawiery Heyman to Jacek Franciszek Rossi - perhaps in recognition of his real father's name. He was a member of the Communist Party of Poland
Communist Party of Poland
The Communist Party of Poland is a historical communist party in Poland. It was a result of the fusion of Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania and the Polish Socialist Party-Left in the Communist Workers Party of Poland .-1918-1921:The KPRP was founded on 16 December 1918 as...
as well as of the comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
. He participated in the Spanish Civil War. At one time, he worked for Leon Trotsky and interpreted for Stalin. In 1937, he was called to Moscow and, most likely due to his prior connection with Trotsky, was imprisoned in Soviet camps until after Stalin's death in 1953. In 1961 he returned to Warsaw with the help of his brother Piotr Heyman. A polyglot
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
, he was a lecturer in the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
School of Foreign Languages under the name Jacek Rossi. He lived in Warsaw till about 1980. In 1985 he traveled to France and was naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
as French citizen. In the late 1980s, he spent time as a visiting scholar at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. where he wrote his memoires and an "encyclopedia on the gulag" as he referred to it in conversation.
As Jacques Rossi he wrote about his experiences of the gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
- The Gulag handbook which was originally written in Russian and was translated into French (1997), English (1987), Japanese (1996), Czech (1999), Italian (2006).
At the end of his life he recorded series of interviews which were subsequently published as Jacques, le Français : pour mémoire du Goulag.
Biography
- Pike, D. W. David Rousset and Jacques Rossi Two important onlookers on the European stage of 1936-1937, Guerres Mondiales et Conflits Contemporains, (190): 143-146, czerwiec 1998.
- Kauffer R., Rossi J., Twenty-five years in the gulag: Interview with Jacques Rossi, Historia (614): 84-84, luty 1998.
- Chauvin, J. R. i Rossi, J., Interview with Rossi, Jacques on his 24 years in the Gulag, Qunizane Litteraire, (611): 23-25, listopad 1 1992.
External links
- BBC Interview Outlook 31 October 2000 - listen http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/highlights/ram/rossi.ram.
- "Association des Amis de Jacques Rossi" website