Teodor Parnicki
Encyclopedia
Teodor Parnicki was a Polish
writer, notable for his historical novels. He is especially renowned for works related to the early medieval Middle East, the late Roman and the Byzantine empires.
Teodor Parnicki was born March 5, 1908, to a Polish father and a Polish-Jewish mother. in Berlin
, where his father, Bronisław Parnicki, had been studying at the local university of technology. Upon receiving a doctorate, the family moved to Moscow
, where Parnicki's father worked for various Russian companies. After the outbreak of World War I
, the Parnicki family - officially citizens of Germany - had to abandon Moscow and move to Ufa
, where Parnicki's mother died soon afterwards. Bronisław Parnicki then married a Russian woman who sent young Teodor to a cadet corps
school in Omsk
and then Vladivostok
. Tired of the military drill, at the age of 12 Parnicki escaped from the cadet school and reached Harbin
in Manchuria
, where he was taken care of by the local Polonia
community. He was sent to a local Polish school, where he had to learn his mother tongue almost from the beginning, having been brought up in German and Russian towns. His father joined him in Manchuria, but died soon afterwards. Upon graduating from the school and passing his matura
, Parnicki moved to Poland and settled in Lwów, where he joined the Lwów University.
There he studied Polish literature under the tutelage of Prof. Juliusz Kleiner
, one of the most renowned specialists in the works of Juliusz Słowacki. Parnicki quickly started his university career as both a student and a tutor and eventually lectured on Chinese language
and Russian literature
.
His first novel, Trzy minuty po trzeciej, was published in 1931. However, it was his fourth work (Æcjusz, ostatni Rzymianin - Ætius, the last of the Romans) that made him popular in Poland. Thanks to a scholarship he received for that novel in 1936, Parnicki spent several years in Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, where he devoted himself to studies on the Byzantine heritage of those states. He returned to Poland shortly before the outbreak of World War II
.
After the Polish Defensive War
, during the Soviet occupation of Lwów, Parnicki was arrested by the NKVD
and sentenced to 8 years in a gulag
for alleged anti-Soviet conspiracy. Set free after the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
of 1941, he joined the Polish Army of Władysław Anders and was delegated to the Polish embassy in Kuybyshev
as its cultural attache
. After the evacuation of the Polish Army from Soviet Russia he spent some time in Tehran
and then settled in Jerusalem. In 1944 he moved to Mexico City
, where he assumed the same post he had earlier in Kuybyshev. However, the following year Mexico withdrew its recognition of the Polish Government in Exile
and Parnicki was left without a job. He remained in Mexico and made his living publishing some of his works in small issues for the Polish exiles and received a small pension from the local Polonia
. In 1967 he returned to Poland and settled in Warsaw
. He died December 5, 1988, shortly before finishing his opus magnum
, a four-volume novel. It was published in 2003 under the title of Ostatnia powieść - the last novel.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of 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...
writer, notable for his historical novels. He is especially renowned for works related to the early medieval Middle East, the late Roman and the Byzantine empires.
Teodor Parnicki was born March 5, 1908, to a Polish father and a Polish-Jewish mother. in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where his father, Bronisław Parnicki, had been studying at the local university of technology. Upon receiving a doctorate, the family moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where Parnicki's father worked for various Russian companies. After the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Parnicki family - officially citizens of Germany - had to abandon Moscow and move to Ufa
Ufa
-Demographics:Nationally, dominated by Russian , Bashkirs and Tatars . In addition, numerous are Ukrainians , Chuvash , Mari , Belarusians , Mordovians , Armenian , Germans , Jews , Azeris .-Government and administration:Local...
, where Parnicki's mother died soon afterwards. Bronisław Parnicki then married a Russian woman who sent young Teodor to a cadet corps
Cadet Corps (Russia)
The Cadet Corps is an admissions-based all boys military academy which prepared boys to become commissioned officers. Boys between the ages of 8 and 15 were enrolled. It was founded in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire in 1731 by Tsarina Anne. The term of education was seven years...
school in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
and then Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
. Tired of the military drill, at the age of 12 Parnicki escaped from the cadet school and reached Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, where he was taken care of by the local Polonia
Polonia
The Polish diaspora refers to people of Polish origin who live outside Poland. The Polish diaspora is also known in modern Polish language as Polonia, which is the name for Poland in Latin and in many other Romance languages....
community. He was sent to a local Polish school, where he had to learn his mother tongue almost from the beginning, having been brought up in German and Russian towns. His father joined him in Manchuria, but died soon afterwards. Upon graduating from the school and passing his matura
Matura
Matura or a similar term is the common name for the high-school leaving exam or "maturity exam" in various countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia,...
, Parnicki moved to Poland and settled in Lwów, where he joined the Lwów University.
There he studied Polish literature under the tutelage of Prof. Juliusz Kleiner
Juliusz Kleiner
-References:...
, one of the most renowned specialists in the works of Juliusz Słowacki. Parnicki quickly started his university career as both a student and a tutor and eventually lectured on Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Russian literature
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
.
His first novel, Trzy minuty po trzeciej, was published in 1931. However, it was his fourth work (Æcjusz, ostatni Rzymianin - Ætius, the last of the Romans) that made him popular in Poland. Thanks to a scholarship he received for that novel in 1936, Parnicki spent several years in Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, where he devoted himself to studies on the Byzantine heritage of those states. He returned to Poland shortly before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
After the Polish Defensive War
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, during the Soviet occupation of Lwów, Parnicki was arrested by the 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 sentenced to 8 years in a 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...
for alleged anti-Soviet conspiracy. Set free after the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
The Sikorski–Mayski Agreement was a treaty between the Soviet Union and Poland signed in London on 30 July 1941. Its name was coined after the two most notable signatories: Polish Prime Minister Władysław Sikorski and Soviet Ambassador to the United Kingdom Ivan Mayski.- Details :After signing...
of 1941, he joined the Polish Army of Władysław Anders and was delegated to the Polish embassy in Kuybyshev
Samara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
as its cultural attache
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
. After the evacuation of the Polish Army from Soviet Russia he spent some time in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
and then settled in Jerusalem. In 1944 he moved to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, where he assumed the same post he had earlier in Kuybyshev. However, the following year Mexico withdrew its recognition of the Polish Government in Exile
Polish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
and Parnicki was left without a job. He remained in Mexico and made his living publishing some of his works in small issues for the Polish exiles and received a small pension from the local Polonia
Polonia
The Polish diaspora refers to people of Polish origin who live outside Poland. The Polish diaspora is also known in modern Polish language as Polonia, which is the name for Poland in Latin and in many other Romance languages....
. In 1967 he returned to Poland and settled 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...
. He died December 5, 1988, shortly before finishing his opus magnum
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
, a four-volume novel. It was published in 2003 under the title of Ostatnia powieść - the last novel.