Adam Ważyk

Adam Ważyk (November 17, 1905—August 13, 1982) was a noted Polish writer. Ważyk was born in Warsaw, and in his early career was associated with the Polish avant-garde, and published several collections of poetry in the interwar years. His works during this period focused largely on the instability of interwar Poland and the tremendous losses following World War I. A member of the Communist party, Ważyk was a notable member of the group of left-wing writers active in Warsaw in the 1930’s. A dedicated Stalinist, he once threatened Antoni Słonimski, at the time one of Poland’s leading poets, because of Słonimski's criticisms of Stalin. Ważyk was a loyal follower of communism and maintained that socialist realism was the only acceptable guide for art.

During the War, Ważyk fought alongside Soviet troops and on the Eastern Front, ending the war with the victorious Lublin contingent. While still in the Polish Army, he founded "Kuźnica", a Marxist literary weekly, which eventually merged with "Nowa Kultura". Ważyk served as the editor of "Kuźnica" from 1946 to 1950, and from 1950 to 1954, he was editor of the literary journal "Twórczość".

Although Ważyk was initially a strong supporter of Stalinism, he eventually rejected it and criticised the communist leadership in Poland after the war. Ważyk is most famous for "A Poem for Adults (Poemat dla dorosłych)", which he wrote in the summer of 1955. The poem was published in the August 21st edition of "Nowa Kultura", a Polish literary weekly journal based in Warsaw that was an official publication of the Association of Polish Writers (and under the control of the communist government). In the poem, Ważyk lashed out at the communist leadership of Poland and put forth a vitriolic criticism of communist rule in Poland. The fifteen part poem, which includes the memorable line, “They drink sea water crying: ‘lemonade!’ returning home secretly to vomit,” paints a picture of suffering and terror in post-war Poland.

The poem was an immediate success and created an uproar due to its strong critique of the communist regime in Poland. After its publication, it was recognized as the strongest criticism of a communist government ever published in the communist controlled press. Immediately after publication, the government fired the head of "Nowa Kultura", Paweł Hoffmann, and made other changes to its staff. Ważyk however, was not arrested, though he was temporarily forced to remain silent. Newspapers and other official party organs were also instructed to denounce Ważyk and the poem. The association of Polish writers called a special session in order to condemn and expel Ważyk, however many writers supported Ważyk and he was not expelled.

Despite government efforts to censor the poem after its production, it was widely read throughout Poland. The issue quickly sold out, and it began selling for high prices on the black market. Hand written copies of the poem were also widely circulated. The poem’s publication gave Ważyk a tremendous amount of notoriety as a voice of dissent, and he was widely praised not only for his eloquent critiques of the communist regime, but also for his courage to make these views public. Ultimately dissalusioned with Gomułka and Polish communism, Ważyk (along with many others) left the communist party in 1957.

External links

"Adam Ważyk." Encyclopædia Britannica. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9100377] .