Jan Himilsbach

Jan Himilsbach (born November 30, 1931 in Mińsk Mazowiecki , † November 11, 1988 in Warsaw ) was a Polish actor and writer .

Life

Although Jan Himilsbach, born in 1931, is now considered to be one of the key figures in Polish post-war culture, he was also an outsider alongside the writers who did not deal with thieves, prostitutes and other people from the social fringes as he did. Himilsbach never left this environment or the small pubs - it came from him and it inspired him. The author and actor, who had been homeless for many years, worked as an inland boatman and stonemason before he was allowed to be considered a protagonist of the Warsaw art scene.

There are no documents about Himilsbach's origin. He was baptized in the nunnery in 1943, probably as the child of murdered Jewish parents. He spent his youth in orphanages, when he was 16 he was arrested. In the granite quarry of Strzegom (Eng. Striegau ) he learned the stonemason trade. In 1948 he served as a messenger at the Wroclaw Congress of Intellectuals. Early on he tried to write edifying stories in the style of the then obligatory socialist realism, but soon he followed his temperament as an ironist who describes the world as it is.

Himilsbach's works are characterized by their own bizarre humor, the incredible stories from working-class life captivate and astonish the reader with their hearts. With a keen eye, he exposes the goings-on in the war and post-war period.

He became a popular film actor with his pockmarked face and his nose dented to the right.

In 1970, Himilsbach shines in the much-loved film satire Rejs (in German "Dampferfahrt", German title: "The excursion") by Marek Piwowski . Soon he was one of the cult figures in Polish cinema.

He was friends with the writer Marek Hłasko and the actor Zdzisław Maklakiewicz .

Jan Himilsbach dies on November 11, 1988 as a Polish legend.

Filmography (selection)

Przepraszam, Czy Tu Biją? ; Director Marek Piwowski
Rejs ; Director Marek Piwowski, 1970
Jak to się robi ; Director Andrzej Kondratiuk , 1973

literature

Sander, Martin: The world of Jan Himilsbach , stories, dtv November 2006, ISBN 3-423-24560-3
Stanisław Manturzewski: Rondo Himilsbacha , Gazeta Wyborcza - February 27, 1998

Web links

Commons : Jan Himilsbach - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Himilsbach, Jan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Polish actor
DATE OF BIRTH	November 30, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH	Mińsk Mazowiecki , Poland
DATE OF DEATH	November 11, 1988
Place of death	Warsaw , Poland