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Józef Mackiewicz (April 1, 1902 – January 31, 1985) was a Polish writer and commentator. He staunchly opposed communism, referring to himself as "anticommunist by nationality". He also regarded himself as a citizen of the multicultural Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Life and career

Jozef Mackiewicz was born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire to a family from Polish-Lithuanian gentry. In 1907 his family moved back to Vilnius (Wilno) (now in Lithuania). Mackiewicz studied natural sciences and before World War II he worked as a journalist for Słowo (The Word), a newspaper published in Vilnius, then within Poland's borders. Between October 1939 and May 1940 he was a publisher and editor-in-chief of the Gazeta Codzienna, a Polish language daily in Lithuanian-controlled Vilnius. In his articles Mackiewicz attempted to initiate a dialogue between Lithuanians and Poles. After the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, he worked as a labourer. In 1942, he witnessed a of massacre of Jews by the Nazis in Ponary, which he described in his book Nie trzeba głośno mówić (“One Is Not Supposed to Speak Aloud”). In 1943, with consent of the Polish government-in-exile, he assisted in the first excavations of the mass graves of the Polish soldiers killed by Soviet NKVD in Katyn in 1940. After he openly described what he saw there in an interview with Goniec Codzienny (see below) he was sentenced to death by the Home Army. Sentence was cancelled. Mackiewicz left Poland with his wife in 1945, never to return, and died in exile in Munich, in 1985.

Works

Mackiewicz's prose is extremely realistic: he believed there were no untouchable subjects. In 1957, he published Kontra, a narrative account of the particularly brutal and treacherous handover of thousands of anti-Soviet Cossacks by British soldiers in Austria back to Soviets. His other works include Droga donikąd (The Road to Nowhere) - an account of life under Soviet occupation, Zwycięstwo prowokacji (Victory of provocation) - on communism, W cieniu krzyża (In the shadow of the cross) - on Catholicism.

His voluminous output as a writer of fiction and a publicist has been undergoing an unusual revival after many years of underground publishing and later marginal interest. His books are however hardly available in Poland due to legal issues.

Death sentence

During the war Mackiewicz was sentenced to death for "collaboration" (i.e. publishing four articles in a local newspaper shortly after the Nazis took control of Vilnius in 1941) by an underground tribunal of Polish Resistance forces Home Army. An executive official, Sergiusz Piasecki declined to carry out the verdict and later Mackiewicz was cleared of any wrongdoing. It is open to debate to what extent this verdict was influenced by Soviet secret agents in the Home Army. This accusation negatively influenced perceptions of Mackiewicz after World War II and was exploited by his critics.

The tribunal that had sentenced Mackiewicz to death was headed by the president of National Democracy at our university. For them Mackiewicz was simply a troublesome person. (...) In my opinion all charges are simply an act of political vengeance. When one of the greatest Polish writers is being judged without any opportunity of defence, we should consider (...) who his persecutors were. (...) There were different kinds of people taking part in this action against Mackiewicz - some genuine patriots, but also hidden agents of these who are guilty of Katyń murder. It was all wished by the later to declare a witness of this crime a fascist and a betrayer.

Trivia

His brother, Stanisław Mackiewicz, was Prime Minister of the Government of Poland in exile from 1954 to 1955.

External links

• The historical interview by Jozef Mackiewicz with the journal "Goniec Codzienny" ("Daily Herald") from 3rd of June 1943 about his visit to Katyń - English translation.

References

1. The Wehrmacht by Wolfram Wette and Deborah Lucas Schneider, available at Google Books
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Polish literature
3. Koniec Wielkiego Xięstwa by Czesław Miłosz

• 1902 births
• 1985 deaths
• Polish writers
• Polish political writers
• Polish novelists
• Polish journalists
• Poles from Lithuania
• Polish anti-communists
• People from Saint Petersburg