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{{Short description|Polish writer (1899–1956)}}
{{Unreferenced|date=August 2008}}
{{Infobox writer
⚫
'''Leszek Józef Serafinowicz''' (pen name '''Jan Lechoń''') (b. [[March 13]], [[1899]] in [[Warsaw]], [[Congress Poland]], [[Russian Empire]] d. [[June 8]], [[1956]], [[New York City]]) was a Polish poet, literary and theatre critic, diplomat, and co-founder of the [[Skamander]] literary movement.
⚫
| name = Jan Lechoń
| image = Jan Lechoń.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Jan Lechoń
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = Leszek Józef Serafinowicz
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1899|3|13|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1956|6|8|1899|3|13|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Warsaw]], [[Congress Poland]]
| death_place = [[New York City]], [[United States]]
| resting_place = Forest Cemetery in Laski
| occupation = Poet
| language = [[Polish language|Polish]]
| nationality = [[Poland|Polish]]
| period =
| genre =
| subject =
| movement = [[Skamander]]
| notableworks =
| spouse =
| children =
| relatives =
| influences =
| influenced =
| awards =
}}

⚫
'''Leszek Józef Serafinowicz''' (pen name: '''Jan Lechoń'''; 13 March 1899 – 8 June 1956) was a Polish [[poet]], literary and theater critic, diplomat, and co-founder of the [[Skamander]] literary movement and the [[Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America]].


==Life==
==Life==
[[File:Kamienica przy ul. Ołówkowej 14 w Pruszkowie.JPG|thumb|left|Jan Lechoń's house (1911–1912) in [[Pruszków]]]]
He studied polish literature and language at the [[Warsaw University]], by which point he had already authored two collections of poetry and a play. He was co-editor of the ''[[Pro arte et studio]]'' magazine. It was he who thought of the name ''Skamander'' for the literary grouping; he also held the opening speech at the group's first meeting on [[December 6]], [[1919]]. During the [[Polish-Soviet War]] he worked at the press office of [[Chief of state]] [[Józef Piłsudski]]. He was a member of the literary cabaret ''Pikador'', member of the Worker's Union of Polish Writers, and secretary general of the [[PEN Club]]. In 1926-1929 he was editor of the satirical magazine ''Cyrulik Warszawski'' (Polish for ''The Barber of Warsaw'', a reference to ''[[The Barber of Seville]]''). In 1925 he received an award from the Polish Book Publishers' Association, and in 1935 a further award from the Polish Literature Academy. He was also co-founder of the [[Polish Institute of Sciences]].
Lechoń studied the Polish language and literature at the [[University of Warsaw]], by which point he had already authored two collections of poetry and a play. He was co-editor of ''Pro arte et studio'' magazine. Lechoń created the name ''Skamander'' for that literary group and delivered the opening speech at the group's first meeting on 6 December 1919. During the [[Polish–Soviet War]] (1919–21), he worked in the press office of [[Head of state|Chief of State]] [[Józef Piłsudski]].


Lechoń was a member of the ''[[Picador|Pikador]]'' literary cabaret, a member of the Polish Writers' Union, and secretary-general of the [[PEN International|PEN Club]]. In 1926–29, he edited the satirical magazine ''Cyrulik Warszawski'' ('The Barber of Warsaw'—named in reference to ''[[The Barber of Seville]]''). In 1925, he received an award from the Polish Book Publishers' Association, and in 1935 an award from the [[Polish Academy of Literature]].<ref name="portalwiedzy">{{cite web | url=http://portalwiedzy.onet.pl/29184,,,,polska_akademia_literatury,haslo.html | title=Polska Akademia Literatury | publisher=Encyklopedia [[Onet.pl]], Grupa Onet.pl SA | year=2011 | accessdate=December 12, 2011 | archive-date=September 19, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919125552/http://portalwiedzy.onet.pl/29184,,,,polska_akademia_literatury,haslo.html | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Lerski-451">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QTUTqE2difgC&q=%22Polish+Academy+of+Literature%22&pg=PA451 | title=''Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945'' | publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group | year=1996 | accessdate=December 5, 2011 | author=[[Jerzy Jan Lerski]], Piotr Wróbel, Richard J. Kozicki | page=451 | isbn=0-313-26007-9}}</ref>
From 1930 to 1939 he was cultural attaché at the Polish embassy in [[Paris]]. After the fall of [[France]] to the [[Nazi]] [[Germany]], he left for [[Brazil]], and later settled in [[New York]], [[USA]]. While in New York he co-edited many Polish newspapers and magazines.


In 1921, he attempted suicide and spent some time in hospitals or sanatoriums trying to overcome [[Major depressive disorder|depression]]. A troubled homosexual affair influenced Lechoń's decision to abandon Warsaw.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Robert |last1=Aldrich|first2= Garry |last2=Wotherspoon |title= Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History: From Antiquity to World War II|page= 307|url= http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fam/biol1/lechon01.html}}</ref> From 1930 to 1939, he was a [[cultural attaché]] at the Polish embassy in [[Paris]]. After the [[Battle of France|fall of France to Nazi Germany]], he left for [[Brazil]] and later settled in [[New York City]]. There, he co-edited many Polish newspapers and magazines; in 1942, he co-founded the [[Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America]].
He committed suicide by jumping from the twelfth floor of the Henry Hudson Hotel. The motive given was "''community degradation''", which deepened his [[Clinical depression|depression]] (Lechoń was allegedly oppressed by the [[Polonia]] for his [[homosexualism]],{{Fact|date=August 2008}} however the memories of his friend, [[Adam Ciołkosz]] do not mention this, thus the reason was presumed to be depression caused by the strengthening of the [[History of Poland (1945–1989)|communist regime in Poland]]). In 1991 the remains of the poet were [[exhumation|exhumed]] from the [[Calvary Cemetery, Queens|Calvary Cemetery]] in [[Queens]] and moved to a cemetery in [[Laski]], to a family tomb shared with his parents, Władysław and Maria Serafinowicz.

On the suggestion of a psychiatrist, Lechoń started writing a diary (1949–56). Amid recondite autobiographical reminiscences, the diary also documents Lechoń's attempts to come to terms with his homosexuality. "Oppressed by a sense of émigré obsolescence and poetic sterility, unable to resolve the conflict between his programmatically traditionalist Polish public persona and the anxieties of an aging, impecunious homosexual in an America beset by [[McCarthyism]] ...",<ref>Robert Aldrich, Garry Wotherspoon - Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History: From Antiquity to World War II, 261</ref> Lechoń committed suicide on 8 June 1956 by jumping from the twelfth floor of the [[Hudson Hotel]]. At the time, his motive for doing so was given as depression deepened by "social degradation". The memoirs of [[Adam Ciołkosz]] point also to depression caused by the strengthening of the [[History of Poland (1945–1989)|communist regime in Poland]].

In 1991, Lechoń's remains were [[exhumation|exhumed]] from [[Calvary Cemetery (Queens, New York)|Calvary Cemetery]] in [[Queens]] and transferred to a cemetery in [[Laski, Warsaw West County|Laski]], to a family tomb shared with his parents, Władysław and Maria Serafinowicz.


==Work==
==Work==
[[File:Laski lechoń.JPG|thumb|220px|Grave of Lechoń in [[Laski, Warsaw West County|Laski]]]]

⚫
Lechoń made his literary debut at the age of 14 with poetry collections entitled ''Na złotym polu'' ('In a Golden Field', 1913) and ''Po różnych ścieżkach'' ('On Different Paths', 1914). In 1916, his drama ''W pałacu Stanisława Augusta'' ('At the Palace of [[Stanisław August Poniatowski|Stanisław August]]') premiered at the Old Orangery in Warsaw. His poetry collection ''Srebrne i czarne'' ('Silver and Black') earned him an award from the Polish Book Publishers' Association. However, growing interest in Lechoń's work and his successes in the field of poetry had a negative influence on him. He found his status and fame overwhelming and did not publish further until the outbreak of [[World War II]].
[[File:Main Church Górny Kościół Jan Lechon.jpg|left|thumb|Jan Lechon plaque at Górny Kościół church]]
[[Poland]]'s wartime demise awakened in him the passion to continue writing. He published ''Lutnia po Bekwarku'' in 1942 and ''Aria z kurantem'' in 1945, as well as ''Marmur i róża''. His other works include ''Karmazynowy poemat'' and ''Iliada''.

⚫
Lechoń's poetry, which combined [[romanticism|romantic]] and [[classicism|classicist]] elements, was different from that of other members of the Skamander group. He also translated several dramas, wrote reviews and essays.

==From Lechoń's ''Diaries''==
"Mankind prospers in one of the falsest illusions, that the world is run by wise people. This would be impossible, if only because most of mankind are mediocrities, if not outright stupid people. If we speak with a physician, say about a writer, the physician is convinced that the writer is a good writer. We writers know that maybe 10 percent of writers are good, the rest being mediocrities and idiots. Likewise the writer supposes that a physician with whom he is unfamiliar is an accomplished expert in his line of work—whereas he is usually a mediocrity. It is amazing that, in spite of this, the world looks as it does."<ref>''"Ludzkość prosperuje w jednym z najfałszywszych złudzeń, że świat prowadzą ludzie mądrzy. Byłoby to niemożliwe choćby dlatego, że większość tej ludzkości to przeciętność—jeśli już nie ludzie głupi. Skoro mówimy z lekarzem np. o jakimś pisarzu—jest on przekonany, że ten pisarz jest dobrym pisarzem. My pisarze wiemy, że dobrych pisarzy jest może 10 procent, reszta to miernoty i idioci. Tak samo pisarz przypuszcza, że nie znany mu bliżej lekarz jest wziętym fachowcem—gdy najczęściej jest on miernotą. Jest tu zdumiewające, że mimo tego świat wygląda, jak wygląda."'' Jan Lechoń, ''Dzienniki'' (Diaries), volume II, quoted in Katarzyna Wójcik, ''"120. rocznica urodzin Jana Lechonia"'' ("120th Anniversary of Jan Lechoń's Birth", pp. 1, 10 of the issue), ''[[Gwiazda Polarna]]'', vol. 110, no. 9 (27 April 2019), p. 10.</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Polish people#Poetry|Polish poets]]


== References ==
⚫
He made his literary debut at the age of 14 with poetry collections entitled ''Na złotym polu'' (1913, ''In a golden field'') and ''Po różnych ścieżkach'' (1914, ''On different paths''). In 1916, his drama ''W pałacu Stanisława Augusta'' (''At the palace of [[Stanisław August Poniatowski|Stanisław August]]'') premiered at the [[Old Orangery]] in [[Warsaw]]. His poetry collection ''Srebrne i czarne'' (''Silver and black'') earned him an award from the Polish Book Publishers' Association. However, growing interest in Lechoń's work and his successes in the field of poetry negatively influenced him. He found his growing status as a legend overwhelming and didn't publish further until the outbreak of [[World War II]]. [[Poland]]'s demise awakened in him the passion to continue writing. He published ''Lutnia po Bekwarku'' in 1942 and ''Aria z kurantem'' in 1945, as well as ''Marmur i róża''. Other works include ''Karmazynowy poemat'' and ''Iliada''.
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
⚫
His poetry combined [[romanticism|romantic]] and [[classicism|classicist]] elements, and was different from that of other [[Skamander]] members. He also translated several dramas, wrote reviews and essays.
*[https://poezja.org/wz/Lecho%C5%84_Jan/ Jan Lechoń] collected works (Polish)


{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Wikipedia:WikiProject LGBT studies/Category unsourced|LGBT people from Poland}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1899 births|Lechon, Jan]]
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[[Category:1956 deaths|Lechon, Jan]]
[[Category:LGBT people from Poland|Lechon, Jan]]
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[[Category:Polish diplomats|Lechon, Jan]]
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[[Category:Polish journalists|Lechon, Jan]]
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[[Category:Polish poets|Lechon, Jan]]
[[Category:Poles of Armenian descent]]
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[[Category:Gay writers|Lechoń]]
[[Category:Writers who committed suicide|Lechon, Jan]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lechon, Jan}}
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[[eo:Jan Lechoń]]
[[pl:Jan Lechoń]]
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1956 suicides]]
[[ru:Ян Лехонь]]
[[Category:Diplomats of the Second Polish Republic]]
[[Category:Golden Laurel of the Polish Academy of Literature]]
[[Category:Polish literary critics]]
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[[Category:Polish LGBTQ poets]]
[[Category:Suicides by jumping in New York City]]
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[[Category:Gay poets]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish poets]]
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[[Category:Polish male poets]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish male writers]]
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[[Category:20th-century Polish journalists]]
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[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish diarists]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish LGBTQ people]]

Latest revision as of 04:45, 24 September 2024

Jan Lechoń
Jan Lechoń
Jan Lechoń
BornLeszek Józef Serafinowicz
(1899-03-13)13 March 1899
Warsaw, Congress Poland
Died8 June 1956(1956-06-08) (aged 57)
New York City, United States
Resting placeForest Cemetery in Laski
OccupationPoet
LanguagePolish
NationalityPolish
Literary movementSkamander

Leszek Józef Serafinowicz (pen name: Jan Lechoń; 13 March 1899 – 8 June 1956) was a Polish poet, literary and theater critic, diplomat, and co-founder of the Skamander literary movement and the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America.

Life

[edit]
Jan Lechoń's house (1911–1912) in Pruszków

Lechoń studied the Polish language and literature at the University of Warsaw, by which point he had already authored two collections of poetry and a play. He was co-editor of Pro arte et studio magazine. Lechoń created the name Skamander for that literary group and delivered the opening speech at the group's first meeting on 6 December 1919. During the Polish–Soviet War (1919–21), he worked in the press office of Chief of State Józef Piłsudski.

Lechoń was a member of the Pikador literary cabaret, a member of the Polish Writers' Union, and secretary-general of the PEN Club. In 1926–29, he edited the satirical magazine Cyrulik Warszawski ('The Barber of Warsaw'—named in reference to The Barber of Seville). In 1925, he received an award from the Polish Book Publishers' Association, and in 1935 an award from the Polish Academy of Literature.[1][2]

In 1921, he attempted suicide and spent some time in hospitals or sanatoriums trying to overcome depression. A troubled homosexual affair influenced Lechoń's decision to abandon Warsaw.[3] From 1930 to 1939, he was a cultural attaché at the Polish embassy in Paris. After the fall of France to Nazi Germany, he left for Brazil and later settled in New York City. There, he co-edited many Polish newspapers and magazines; in 1942, he co-founded the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America.

On the suggestion of a psychiatrist, Lechoń started writing a diary (1949–56). Amid recondite autobiographical reminiscences, the diary also documents Lechoń's attempts to come to terms with his homosexuality. "Oppressed by a sense of émigré obsolescence and poetic sterility, unable to resolve the conflict between his programmatically traditionalist Polish public persona and the anxieties of an aging, impecunious homosexual in an America beset by McCarthyism ...",[4] Lechoń committed suicide on 8 June 1956 by jumping from the twelfth floor of the Hudson Hotel. At the time, his motive for doing so was given as depression deepened by "social degradation". The memoirs of Adam Ciołkosz point also to depression caused by the strengthening of the communist regime in Poland.

In 1991, Lechoń's remains were exhumed from Calvary Cemetery in Queens and transferred to a cemetery in Laski, to a family tomb shared with his parents, Władysław and Maria Serafinowicz.

Work

[edit]
Grave of Lechoń in Laski

Lechoń made his literary debut at the age of 14 with poetry collections entitled Na złotym polu ('In a Golden Field', 1913) and Po różnych ścieżkach ('On Different Paths', 1914). In 1916, his drama W pałacu Stanisława Augusta ('At the Palace of Stanisław August') premiered at the Old Orangery in Warsaw. His poetry collection Srebrne i czarne ('Silver and Black') earned him an award from the Polish Book Publishers' Association. However, growing interest in Lechoń's work and his successes in the field of poetry had a negative influence on him. He found his status and fame overwhelming and did not publish further until the outbreak of World War II.

Jan Lechon plaque at Górny Kościół church

Poland's wartime demise awakened in him the passion to continue writing. He published Lutnia po Bekwarku in 1942 and Aria z kurantem in 1945, as well as Marmur i róża. His other works include Karmazynowy poemat and Iliada.

Lechoń's poetry, which combined romantic and classicist elements, was different from that of other members of the Skamander group. He also translated several dramas, wrote reviews and essays.

From Lechoń's Diaries

[edit]

"Mankind prospers in one of the falsest illusions, that the world is run by wise people. This would be impossible, if only because most of mankind are mediocrities, if not outright stupid people. If we speak with a physician, say about a writer, the physician is convinced that the writer is a good writer. We writers know that maybe 10 percent of writers are good, the rest being mediocrities and idiots. Likewise the writer supposes that a physician with whom he is unfamiliar is an accomplished expert in his line of work—whereas he is usually a mediocrity. It is amazing that, in spite of this, the world looks as it does."[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Polska Akademia Literatury". Encyklopedia Onet.pl, Grupa Onet.pl SA. 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  2. ^ Jerzy Jan Lerski, Piotr Wróbel, Richard J. Kozicki (1996). Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 451. ISBN 0-313-26007-9. Retrieved December 5, 2011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Aldrich, Robert; Wotherspoon, Garry. "Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History: From Antiquity to World War II". p. 307.
  4. ^ Robert Aldrich, Garry Wotherspoon - Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History: From Antiquity to World War II, 261
  5. ^ "Ludzkość prosperuje w jednym z najfałszywszych złudzeń, że świat prowadzą ludzie mądrzy. Byłoby to niemożliwe choćby dlatego, że większość tej ludzkości to przeciętność—jeśli już nie ludzie głupi. Skoro mówimy z lekarzem np. o jakimś pisarzu—jest on przekonany, że ten pisarz jest dobrym pisarzem. My pisarze wiemy, że dobrych pisarzy jest może 10 procent, reszta to miernoty i idioci. Tak samo pisarz przypuszcza, że nie znany mu bliżej lekarz jest wziętym fachowcem—gdy najczęściej jest on miernotą. Jest tu zdumiewające, że mimo tego świat wygląda, jak wygląda." Jan Lechoń, Dzienniki (Diaries), volume II, quoted in Katarzyna Wójcik, "120. rocznica urodzin Jana Lechonia" ("120th Anniversary of Jan Lechoń's Birth", pp. 1, 10 of the issue), Gwiazda Polarna, vol. 110, no. 9 (27 April 2019), p. 10.
[edit]

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