Mirosław Chojecki: Difference between revisions

Mirosław Chojecki
Mirosław Chojecki
	Chojecki in 1981
Born	September 1, 1949 (age 74)
Nationality	Polish
Occupation(s)	Polish publisher and film producer

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Mirosław Chojecki (born 1 September 1949 in Warsaw) is a Polish publisher and film producer. He was an activist in the democratic anti-communist opposition during the period of the People's Republic of Poland.^[1]

Biography[edit]

Mirosław Chojecki is the son of Maria Stypułkowska-Chojecka, member of the Armia Krajowa and Kedyw who participated in the Polish resistance during World War II.^[2]

During the March 1968 events he participated in a student strike at the Warsaw Polytechnic, and was subsequently expelled from the university.^[3] Between 1967 and 1972 he belonged to the Polish Students' Association (ZSP).^[1] In 1974 he graduated from the Department of Chemistry of the University of Warsaw and then worked at the Institute for Nuclear Research (IBJ).^[1]

In June 1976 Chojecki was one of the participants in the campaign to help the repressed workers of Ursus and Radom. As a result he was dismissed from his position at the institute and went on trial along with Bogdan Grzesiak, and two printers from the Polish Trade Agency, Jerzy Ciechomski and Wiesfaw Kunikowski on June 12, 1976.^[4] In the same year he was among the organizers of the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR). He initiated independent publishing activity and was responsible for the reproduction of the KOR Communications and Information Bulletin of the KOR underground newspapers.^[4]

In September 1977 Chojecki created the Independent Publishing House "NOWa" which constituted the largest publishing house operating outside official communist censorship, becoming its leader.^[5] Initially, Chojecki wanted NOWa to publish historical books on topics officially forbidden or ignored by the communist authorities, but other oppositionists convinced him to also issue works of literature, including those by Czesław Miłosz and Günter Grass. When Chojecki was arrested by the communist secret police Grass signed a petition demanding his freedom.^[6] Along with Czesław Bielecki of CDN, Chojecki was one of the most important publishers collaborating with Kultura, the Polish emigre journal in Paris ran by Jerzy Giedroyc.^[7]

In March 1980 he was detained, and then went on a hunger strike which ended up lasting 33 days.^[8] In May of that year, the parson of St. Christopher's Church in Podkowa Leśna led another hunger strike to protest Chojecki's and others political imprisonment. This protest was joined by more than twenty members of the democratic anti-communist opposition, including Jacek Kuroń, Bronisław Wildstein, Aleksander Hall, Jan Józef Lipski as well the Hungarian oppositionist and publisher Tibor Pákh.^[8] After a trial Chojecki was sentenced to one and a half years imprisonment with a conditional suspension.^[8]

In August 1980 he organized the printing of publications of the "second circuit" (as underground press was known in Poland at the time). He was re-arrested but was released after the signing of the Gdańsk Agreement between the communist government and striking workers of Gdańsk, which led to the creation of the Solidarity Trade Union.^[9] Chojecki was restored to his job at the Institute for Nuclear Research as well. In the same year he became a member of "Solidarity".

In October 1981 he went abroad and was in France when the imposition of martial law in Poland by the government of General Wojciech Jaruzelski occurred. He remained in exile in Paris and published a monthly "Kontakt", produced films on modern Polish history, and organized support for the underground in Poland, including the provision of media equipment and other hardware.^[10] He continued to collaborate with Jerzy Giedroyc during this period.^[11]

Chojecki returned to Poland in 1990. He co-founded the first commercial television station NTW ("Nowa Telewizja Warszawa", New Television Warsaw), started a film group "Kontakt" and served as adviser to the minister of culture.

In 2004, Mirosław Chojecki initiated and as director leads the Warsaw-based Jewish Motifs International Film Festival.

He is the initiator and the honorary president of the Association for Free Speech (Stowarzyszenie Wolnego Słowa).^[12] He is also a member of the Civic Committee of the Solidarity with Ukraine (KOSzU).

In 2005 he was an honorary committee member for Donald Tusk during the presidential campaign. On August 31, 2006 Chojecki was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by President Lech Kaczynski.^[1] In 2022, on the 46th anniversairy of the creation of KOR, he received the Order of the White Eagle from the president Andrzej Duda.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Biernacki, Krzysztof. "Mirosław Chojecki" (in Polish). Encyklopedia Solidarnosci. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
^ Lipski, Jan Józef (2022-04-29). KOR: A History of the Workers' Defense Committee in Poland 1976–1981. Univ of California Press. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-520-35884-3.
^ Studium papers. North American Study Center for Polish Affairs. 1986. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ ^a ^b Lipski, Jan Józef (1985). K.O.R. University of California Press. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-520-05243-7. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ Radio Free Europe (1980). Radio Free Europe Research. Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ Milewicz, Ewa (2006-09-16). "Mirosław Chojecki". Retrieved July 27, 2012.
^ Neubauer, John; Török, Borbála Zsuzsanna (28 October 2009). The Exile and Return of Writers from East-Central Europe: A Compendium. Walter de Gruyter. p. 179. ISBN 978-3-11-021774-2. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Kalendarium 1980" (in Polish). Kor.org. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
^ Szporer, Michael (July 2012). Solidarity: The Great Workers Strike of 1980. Lexington Books. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-7391-7488-3. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ NSZZ "Solidarność" (Labor organization) (1991). Kontakt: miesięcznik redagowany przez członków i współpracowników NSZZ Solidarność. Kontakt. p. 146. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ Giedroyc, Jerzy (January 1997). Kultura. Instytut Literacki. p. 4. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ "STOWARZYSZENIE WOLNEGO SŁOWA" (in Polish). Archiwum.sws. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

[ES-1] Biernacki, Krzysztof. "Mirosław Chojecki" (in Polish). Encyklopedia Solidarnosci. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

[2] Lipski, Jan Józef (2022-04-29). KOR: A History of the Workers' Defense Committee in Poland 1976–1981. Univ of California Press. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-520-35884-3.

[Affairs-3] Studium papers. North American Study Center for Polish Affairs. 1986. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[Lipski1985-4] Lipski, Jan Józef (1985). K.O.R. University of California Press. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-520-05243-7. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[Europe1980-5] Radio Free Europe (1980). Radio Free Europe Research. Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[gw-6] Milewicz, Ewa (2006-09-16). "Mirosław Chojecki". Retrieved July 27, 2012.

[NeubauerTörök2009-7] Neubauer, John; Török, Borbála Zsuzsanna (28 October 2009). The Exile and Return of Writers from East-Central Europe: A Compendium. Walter de Gruyter. p. 179. ISBN 978-3-11-021774-2. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[kork-8] "Kalendarium 1980" (in Polish). Kor.org. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

[Szporer2012-9] Szporer, Michael (July 2012). Solidarity: The Great Workers Strike of 1980. Lexington Books. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-7391-7488-3. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[organization)1991-10] NSZZ "Solidarność" (Labor organization) (1991). Kontakt: miesięcznik redagowany przez członków i współpracowników NSZZ Solidarność. Kontakt. p. 146. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[Giedroyc1997-11] Giedroyc, Jerzy (January 1997). Kultura. Instytut Literacki. p. 4. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[12] "STOWARZYSZENIE WOLNEGO SŁOWA" (in Polish). Archiwum.sws. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

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+{{short description|Polish publisher and film producer}}
-'''Miroslaw Chojecki ''' (born September 1, 1949 in Warsaw) is a Polish publisher and film producer. He was an activist in the democratic anti-communist opposition during the period of the [[People's Republic of Poland]].<ref name="ES"/>
+{{Infobox person
+| name               = Mirosław Chojecki
+| image              = Miroslaw Chojecki with pamphets.jpg
+| caption            = Chojecki in 1981
+| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1949|9|1}}
+| nationality        = Polish
+| occupation         = Polish [[publisher]] and film producer
+}}
+'''Mirosław Chojecki''' (born 1 September 1949 in [[Warsaw]]) is a Polish publisher and film producer. He was an activist in the democratic anti-communist opposition during the period of the [[People's Republic of Poland]].<ref name="ES"/>
 ==Biography==
+Mirosław Chojecki is the son of [[Maria Stypułkowska-Chojecka]], member of the [[Armia Krajowa]] and [[Kedyw]] who participated in the Polish resistance during World War II.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lipski |first=Jan Józef |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oHJkEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA376 |title=KOR: A History of the Workers' Defense Committee in Poland 1976–1981 |date=2022-04-29 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-35884-3 |pages=376 |language=en}}</ref>
-During the [[March 1968 events]] he participated in a student strike at the [[Warsaw Polytechnic]], and was subsequently expelled from the university.<ref name="Affairs">{{cite book|title=Studium papers|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_e4VAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2012|publisher=North American Study Center for Polish Affairs}}</ref> Between 1967 and 1972 he belonged to the [[Polish Students' Association]] (ZSP).<ref name="ES">{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyklopedia-solidarnosci.pl/wiki/index.php?title=Miros%C5%82aw_Chojecki|title=Mirosław Chojecki|publisher=Encyklopedia Solidarnosci|author=Biernacki, Krzysztof|language=Polish|accessdate=24 July 2012}}</ref> In 1974 he graduated from the Department of Chemistry of the [[University of Warsaw]] and then worked at the Institute for Nuclear Research (IBJ).<ref name="ES"/>
+During the [[March 1968 events]] he participated in a student strike at the [[Warsaw Polytechnic]], and was subsequently expelled from the university.<ref name="Affairs">{{cite book|title=Studium papers| year=1986 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_e4VAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2012|publisher=North American Study Center for Polish Affairs}}</ref> Between 1967 and 1972 he belonged to the [[Polish Students' Association]] (ZSP).<ref name="ES">{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyklopedia-solidarnosci.pl/wiki/index.php?title=Miros%C5%82aw_Chojecki|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214130004/http://encyklopedia-solidarnosci.pl/wiki/index.php?title=Miros%C5%82aw_Chojecki|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 14, 2014|title=Mirosław Chojecki|publisher=Encyklopedia Solidarnosci|author=Biernacki, Krzysztof|language=Polish|accessdate=24 July 2012}}</ref> In 1974 he graduated from the Department of Chemistry of the [[University of Warsaw]] and then worked at the Institute for Nuclear Research (IBJ).<ref name="ES"/>
-In June of 1976 Chojecki was one of the participants in the campaign to help the [[June 1976 protests|repressed workers of Ursus and Radom]]. As a result he was dismissed from his position at the institute and went on trial along with [[Bogdan Grzesiak]], and two printers from the [[Polish Trade Agency]], [[Jerzy Ciechomski]] and [[Wiesfaw Kunikowski]] on June 12, 1976.<ref name="Lipski1985">{{cite book|last=Lipski|first=Jan Józef|title=K.O.R|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_toVSQ0Koh0C&pg=PA376|accessdate=25 July 2012|year=1985|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-05243-7|page=376}}</ref> In the same year he was among the organizers of the [[Workers' Defence Committee]] (''KOR''). He initiated [[samizdat|independent publishing activity]] and was responsible for the reproduction of the ''KOR Communications'' and ''Information Bulletin of the KOR'' underground newspapers.<ref name="Lipski1985"/> In September 1977 he created the Independent Publishing House "NOWa" which constituted the largest publishing house operating outside official communist censorship, becoming its leader.<ref name="Europe1980">{{cite book|author=Radio Free Europe|title=Radio Free Europe Research|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QWMpAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2012|year=1980|publisher=Radio Free Europe.}}</ref> Along with [[Czesław Bielecki]] of [[CDN]], Chojecki was one of the most important publishers collaborating with [[Kultura]].<ref name="NeubauerTörök2009">{{cite book|last1=Neubauer|first1=John|last2=Török|first2=Borbála Zsuzsanna|title=The Exile and Return of Writers from East-Central Europe: A Compendium|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=sZom3WALfnYC&pg=PA179|accessdate=25 July 2012|date=28 October 2009|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-021774-2|page=179}}</ref>
+In June 1976 Chojecki was one of the participants in the campaign to help the [[June 1976 protests|repressed workers of Ursus and Radom]]. As a result he was dismissed from his position at the institute and went on trial along with [[Bogdan Grzesiak]], and two printers from the [[Polish Trade Agency]], [[Jerzy Ciechomski]] and [[Wiesfaw Kunikowski]] on June 12, 1976.<ref name="Lipski1985">{{cite book|last=Lipski|first=Jan Józef|title=K.O.R|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_toVSQ0Koh0C&pg=PA376|accessdate=25 July 2012|year=1985|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-05243-7|page=376}}</ref> In the same year he was among the organizers of the [[Workers' Defence Committee]] (''KOR''). He initiated [[samizdat|independent publishing activity]] and was responsible for the reproduction of the ''KOR Communications'' and ''Information Bulletin of the KOR'' underground newspapers.<ref name="Lipski1985"/>
-In March 1980 he was detained, and then went on a hunger strike which ended up lasting 33 days.<ref name=kork/> In May of that year, the [[parson]] of St. Christopher's Church in [[Podkowa Leśna]] led another hunger strike to protest Chojecki's and others political imprisonment. This protest was joined by more than twenty members of the democratic anti-communist opposition, including [[Jacek Kuroń]], [[Bronisław Wildstein]], [[Aleksander Hall]], [[Jan Józef Lipski]] as well the Hungarian oppositionist and publisher [[Tibor Pakh]].<ref name=kork/> After a trial Chojecki was sentenced to one and a half years imprisonment with a conditional suspension.<ref name=kork>{{cite web|url=http://www.kor.org.pl/index.php?page=kalendarium&sel=1980|title=Kalendarium 1980|publisher=Kor.org|language=Polish|accessdate=24 July 2012}}</ref>
+In September 1977 Chojecki created the Independent Publishing House "[[NOWa]]" which constituted the largest publishing house operating outside official communist censorship, becoming its leader.<ref name="Europe1980">{{cite book|author=Radio Free Europe|title=Radio Free Europe Research|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWMpAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2012|year=1980|publisher=Radio Free Europe.}}</ref> Initially, Chojecki wanted NOWa to publish historical books on topics officially forbidden or ignored by the communist authorities, but other oppositionists convinced him to also issue works of literature, including those by [[Czesław Miłosz]] and [[Günter Grass]]. When Chojecki was arrested by the [[Służba Bezpieczeństwa|communist secret police]] Grass signed a petition demanding his freedom.<ref name="gw">{{cite news | url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,93937,3622443.html | title=Mirosław Chojecki | date=2006-09-16 | accessdate=July 27, 2012 | author=Milewicz, Ewa}}</ref> Along with [[Czesław Bielecki]] of [[Niezależna Oficyna Wydawnicza CDN|CDN]], Chojecki was one of the most important publishers collaborating with ''[[Kultura]]'', the Polish emigre journal in Paris ran by [[Jerzy Giedroyc]].<ref name="NeubauerTörök2009">{{cite book|last1=Neubauer|first1=John|last2=Török|first2=Borbála Zsuzsanna|title=The Exile and Return of Writers from East-Central Europe: A Compendium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sZom3WALfnYC&pg=PA179|accessdate=25 July 2012|date=28 October 2009|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-021774-2|page=179}}</ref>
-In August 1980 he organized the printing of publications of the "second circuit" (as underground press was known in Poland at the time). He was re-arrested but was released after the signing of the [[Gdańsk Agreement]] between the communist government and striking workers of Gdańsk, which led to the creation of the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity Trade Union]].<ref name="Szporer2012">{{cite book|last=Szporer|first=Michael|title=Solidarity: The Great Workers Strike of 1980|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PcBKG1QpMJcC&pg=PT46|accessdate=25 July 2012|date=July 2012|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-7488-3|page=46}}</ref> Chojecki was restored to his job at the Institute for Nuclear Research as well. In the same year he became a member of "Solidarity".
+In March 1980 he was detained, and then went on a hunger strike which ended up lasting 33 days.<ref name=kork/> In May of that year, the [[parson]] of St. Christopher's Church in [[Podkowa Leśna]] led another hunger strike to protest Chojecki's and others political imprisonment. This protest was joined by more than twenty members of the democratic anti-communist opposition, including [[Jacek Kuroń]], [[Bronisław Wildstein]], [[Aleksander Hall]], [[Jan Józef Lipski]] as well the Hungarian oppositionist and publisher [[Tibor Pákh]].<ref name=kork/> After a trial Chojecki was sentenced to one and a half years imprisonment with a conditional suspension.<ref name=kork>{{cite web|url=http://www.kor.org.pl/index.php?page=kalendarium&sel=1980|title=Kalendarium 1980|publisher=Kor.org|language=Polish|accessdate=24 July 2012}}</ref>
-In October 1981 he went abroad and was in France when the imposition of [[martial law in Poland]] by the government of General [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] occurred. He remained in exile in Paris and published a monthly ''"Kontakt"'', produced films on modern Polish history, and organized support for the underground in Poland, including the provision of media equipment and other hardware.<ref name="organization)1991">{{cite book|author=NSZZ "Solidarność" (Labor organization)|title=Kontakt: miesięcznik redagowany przez członków i współpracowników NSZZ Solidarność|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KM9WAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2012|year=1991|publisher=Kontakt|page=146}}</ref> He collaborated with the famous publicist [[Jerzy Giedroyc]].<ref name="Giedroyc1997">{{cite book|last=Giedroyc|first=Jerzy|title=Kultura|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Pw9MAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2012|date=January 1997|publisher=Instytut Literacki|page=4}}</ref> Chojecki returned to Poland in 1990. He co-founded the first commercial television station NTW ("''Nowa Telewizja Warszawa''", New Television Warsaw), started a film group "Kontakt" and served as adviser to the minister of culture.
+In August 1980 he organized the printing of publications of the "second circuit" (as underground press was known in Poland at the time). He was re-arrested but was released after the signing of the [[Gdańsk Agreement]] between the communist government and striking workers of Gdańsk, which led to the creation of the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity Trade Union]].<ref name="Szporer2012">{{cite book|last=Szporer|first=Michael|title=Solidarity: The Great Workers Strike of 1980|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PcBKG1QpMJcC&pg=PT46|accessdate=25 July 2012|date=July 2012|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-7488-3|page=46}}</ref> Chojecki was restored to his job at the Institute for Nuclear Research as well. In the same year he became a member of "Solidarity".
-He is the initiator and the honorary president of the [[Association for Free Speech]] (''Stowarzyszenie Wolnego Słowa'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiwum.sws.org.pl/doc/onas.htm|title=STOWARZYSZENIE WOLNEGO SŁOWA|publisher=Archiwum.sws|language=Polish|accessdate=24 July 2012}}</ref> In 2005 he was an honorary committee member for [[Donald Tusk]] during the presidential campaign. On August 31, 2006 Chojecki was awarded the [[Order of Polonia Restituta|Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta]] by President [[Lech Kaczynski]].
+In October 1981 he went abroad and was in France when the imposition of [[martial law in Poland]] by the government of General [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] occurred. He remained in exile in Paris and published a monthly ''"Kontakt"'', produced films on modern Polish history, and organized support for the underground in Poland, including the provision of media equipment and other hardware.<ref name="organization)1991">{{cite book|author=NSZZ "Solidarność" (Labor organization)|title=Kontakt: miesięcznik redagowany przez członków i współpracowników NSZZ Solidarność|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KM9WAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2012|year=1991|publisher=Kontakt|page=146}}</ref> He continued to collaborate with Jerzy Giedroyc during this period.<ref name="Giedroyc1997">{{cite book|last=Giedroyc|first=Jerzy|title=Kultura|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pw9MAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2012|date=January 1997|publisher=Instytut Literacki|page=4}}</ref>
+[[File:Chojecki_Mirosław.jpg|right|thumb|Chojecki in 2011]]
+Chojecki returned to Poland in 1990. He co-founded the first commercial television station NTW ("''Nowa Telewizja Warszawa''", New Television Warsaw), started a film group "Kontakt" and served as adviser to the minister of culture.
+In 2004, Mirosław Chojecki initiated and as director leads the Warsaw-based [[Jewish Motifs International Film Festival]].
+He is the initiator and the honorary president of the [[Association for Free Speech]] (''Stowarzyszenie Wolnego Słowa'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiwum.sws.org.pl/doc/onas.htm|title=STOWARZYSZENIE WOLNEGO SŁOWA|publisher=Archiwum.sws|language=Polish|accessdate=24 July 2012}}</ref> He is also a member of the  [[Civic Committee of the Solidarity with Ukraine]] (KOSzU).
+In 2005 he was an honorary committee member for [[Donald Tusk]] during the presidential campaign. On August 31, 2006 Chojecki was awarded the [[Order of Polonia Restituta|Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta]] by President [[Lech Kaczynski]].<ref name="ES" /> In 2022, on the 46th anniversairy of the creation of KOR, he received the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] from the president [[Andrzej Duda]].
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Chojecki, Miroslaw}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Chojecki, Miroslaw}}
 [[Category:Polish printers]]
 [[Category:1949 births]]
 [[Category:Polish publishers (people)]]
 [[Category:Living people]]
-[[Category:People from Warsaw]]
+[[Category:Film people from Warsaw]]
-[[Category:Polish activists]]
+[[Category:Polish dissidents]]
 [[Category:Polish film producers]]
 [[Category:University of Warsaw alumni]]
+[[Category:People associated with the magazine "Kultura"]]
-[[pl:Mirosław Chojecki]]

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