Jerzy Borejsza
Encyclopedia
Jerzy Borejsza (ˈjɛʐɨ bɔˈrɛjʂa; born Beniamin Goldberg, Warsaw
, 1905–1952, Warsaw), was a Polish communist activist and writer, chief of the communist press and publishing syndicate in the Stalinist period of the People's Republic of Poland
.
– later a member of Soviet NKVD
and high-ranking interrogator in the Polish communist Ministry of Public Security
. As a youth, Borejsza sympathized with the Zionist radical left and anarchic
political factions. After he got in trouble with the Polish authorities, his father sponsored his residence in France. Borejsza studied engineering, then Hispanic culture at the Sorbonne
, and remained deeply involved with the politics and activism of anarchism.
After his studies, Borejsza returned home and was briefly enlisted in the Polish Army in the late 1920s. In 1929 he joined the Communist Party of Poland
(KPP) active in the Second Polish Republic
, and was imprisoned several times in the years 1933–1935 for agitation and political propaganda.
After Soviet invasion of Poland
in 1939, Borejsza became a vocal supporter of the new communist regime, publishing Polish language translations of Soviet propaganda. He served as director of the Ossolineum
Institute in Lwów (Lviv) in 1939–1940. After the war, he aided the transport of most of Ossolineum archives to Wrocław, following the transfer of the Polish city
of Lwów to the Ukrainian SSR
. He was one of the founders of the Union of Polish Patriots
– precursor to the puppet government of future People's Republic of Poland
. Borejsza served in the Red Army
, and then the Polish First Army
, reaching the rank of major.
He joined the new pro-Soviet Polish Communist party, the Polish Workers' Party
, and became a deputy to the State National Council
. He organized much of the communist propaganda in the early days of communist Poland, and was a leading figure in the implementing of state control over the world of Polish culture, including censorship in the People's Republic of Poland
. He created the giant publishing house Czytelnik (Reader). Borejsza favored a moderate approach to culture control: what he called a "gentle revolution". He supported establishing cultural relations with the West
, and himself traveled to United States and the United Kingdom. In 1948 he was one of the main organizers of the World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace
in Wrocław. He fell out of favor with the Stalinist hardliners who saw him as too independent, too hard to influence, and not radical enough. His political role diminished in the late 1940s, particularly after the disabling injuries he suffered in the car accident in 1949.
Borejsza received the medal Polonia Restituta
. He was buried at the Powązki Cemetery
in Warsaw.
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, 1905–1952, Warsaw), was a Polish communist activist and writer, chief of the communist press and publishing syndicate in the Stalinist period of the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
.
Biography
Borejsza was born as Beniamin Goldberg to a Polish Jewish family. He was an older brother of Józef RóżańskiJózef Rózanski
Józef Różański was a communist in prewar Second Polish Republic, member of the Soviet NKVD and later, colonel of the Stalinist Ministry of Public Security of Poland. Born into a Jewish family in Warsaw, Różański became active in the Communist Party of Poland before World War II...
– later a member of Soviet NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
and high-ranking interrogator in the Polish communist Ministry of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security can refer to:* Ministry of Public Security of Burundi* Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China* Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica* Ministry of Public Security of Israel...
. As a youth, Borejsza sympathized with the Zionist radical left and anarchic
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
political factions. After he got in trouble with the Polish authorities, his father sponsored his residence in France. Borejsza studied engineering, then Hispanic culture at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, and remained deeply involved with the politics and activism of anarchism.
After his studies, Borejsza returned home and was briefly enlisted in the Polish Army in the late 1920s. In 1929 he joined 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...
(KPP) active in the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, and was imprisoned several times in the years 1933–1935 for agitation and political propaganda.
After Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland can refer to:* the second phase of the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 when Soviet armies marched on Warsaw, Poland* Soviet invasion of Poland of 1939 when Soviet Union allied with Nazi Germany attacked Second Polish Republic...
in 1939, Borejsza became a vocal supporter of the new communist regime, publishing Polish language translations of Soviet propaganda. He served as director of the Ossolineum
Ossolineum
The Ossolineum or Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich a meritorious department for Polish science and culture , which was founded for the Polish Nation in 1817 by Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński, and was opened in 1827 in Lviv.It was one of the most important Polish...
Institute in Lwów (Lviv) in 1939–1940. After the war, he aided the transport of most of Ossolineum archives to Wrocław, following the transfer of the Polish city
Territorial changes of Poland
Poland is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
of Lwów to the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
. He was one of the founders of the Union of Polish Patriots
Union of Polish Patriots
Union of Polish Patriots was a political body created by Polish communists and Joseph Stalin in Soviet Union in 1943...
– precursor to the puppet government of future People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
. Borejsza served in the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, and then the Polish First Army
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
, reaching the rank of major.
He joined the new pro-Soviet Polish Communist party, the Polish Workers' Party
Polish Workers' Party
The Polish Workers' Party was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland, and merged with the Polish Socialist Party in 1948 to form the Polish United Workers' Party.-History:...
, and became a deputy to the State National Council
State National Council
Krajowa Rada Narodowa in Polish was a parliament-like political body formed in the late stages of the Second World War in the Soviet Union, as part of the formation of a new Communist Polish government...
. He organized much of the communist propaganda in the early days of communist Poland, and was a leading figure in the implementing of state control over the world of Polish culture, including censorship in the People's Republic of Poland
Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland
Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland was primarily performed by the Polish Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows , a governmental institution created in 1946 by the pro-Soviet Provisional Government of National Unity with Stalin's approval and backing, and renamed in 1981...
. He created the giant publishing house Czytelnik (Reader). Borejsza favored a moderate approach to culture control: what he called a "gentle revolution". He supported establishing cultural relations with the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, and himself traveled to United States and the United Kingdom. In 1948 he was one of the main organizers of the World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace
World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace
The World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace convened in Wrocław, Poland on August 25-28, 1948, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Notable politicians, academics, and artists attended, including Pablo Picasso, Frédéric Joliot-Curie, Irène Joliot-Curie, Bertolt Brecht, Paul Éluard, Aldous...
in Wrocław. He fell out of favor with the Stalinist hardliners who saw him as too independent, too hard to influence, and not radical enough. His political role diminished in the late 1940s, particularly after the disabling injuries he suffered in the car accident in 1949.
Borejsza received the medal Polonia Restituta
Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
. He was buried at the Powązki Cemetery
Powazki Cemetery
Powązki Cemetery , also known as the Stare Powązki is a historic cemetery located in the Wola district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city, and one of the oldest...
in Warsaw.
Quotes
- Czesław Miłosz, Polish writer and Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner, once wrote in his memoirs about Borejsza: "The most international of Polish communists. (…) He build from nothing, starting in 1945, his paper empire of books and press. "Czytelnik" and other publishing houses, newspapers, magazines; all was dependent on him – jobs, publications, wages. I was in his stable, we all were." - Maria DąbrowskaMaria DabrowskaMaria Dąbrowska was a Polish writer.Dąbrowska was a member of the impoverished landed gentry. Interested both in literature and politics, she set herself up to help people born into poor circumstances. She studied sociology, philosophy, and natural sciences in Lausanne and Brussels and moved to...
, Polish writer, wrote about him in her memoirs: "He created a large organization, an organization encompassing the publishing – newspapers-books and readers, created with almost an American flare. But the aim of this organization was a slow and deliberate Sovietization and Russification of Polish culture." - Jan KottJan KottJan Kott was a well-known Polish critic and theoretician of the theatre.Born in Warsaw in 1914, Kott moved to the United States in 1966 and lectured at Yale and Berkeley. A poet, translator, and critic, he was also one of the finest essayists of the Polish school...
, Polish writer, wrote about him in his memoirs: "...simply known as the Boss. (…) Czytelnik was a state within a state (…) especially for writers. "
Further reading
- E. Krasucki, Międzynarodowy komunista. Jerzy Borejsza – biografia polityczna, Warszawa 2009. ISBN 978-83-01-15841-5
- J. Centkowski, Jerzy Borejsza (1905–1952), in: Materiały Pomocnicze do Historii Dziennikarstwa Polski Ludowej, J. Centkowski and A. Słomkowska (red.), z. 4, Warszawa 1974.
- B. Fijałkowska, Borejsza i Różański. Przyczynek do dziejów stalinizmu w Polsce, Olsztyn 1995., ISBN 83-85513-49-3
- Z. Gregorczyk, Działalność Jerzego Borejszy w okresie lubelskim, in: Prasa lubelska: tradycje i współczesność, J. Jarowiecki et al. (red.), Lublin 1986.
- K. Koźniewski, Rogatywki Jerzego Borejszy, in: Zostanie mit, Warszawa 1988
- E. Krasucki, Ujmując w dłoń skalpel materializmu. Wizja kultury socjalistycznej w publicystyce Jerzego Borejszy z „Lewara” i „Sygnałów” (1934–1939), in: Społeczeństwo – polityka – kultura. Studia nad dziejami prasy w II Rzeczypospolitej, T. Sikorski (red.), Szczecin 2006.