Karl Mallek

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Karol Małłek (German Karl Mallek ) (born March 18, 1898 in Brodowo (German Brodau ), then Neidenburg district , East Prussia province ; † August 28, 1969 in Krutyń (German Kruttinnen ), Piecki (Peitschendorf) , Mrągowo district (Sensburg ) ) was a Masurian writer , folklorist , publicist and teacher . He came from a Polish family.

Life

Monument to Karl Mallek in his place of birth

Karol was the son of Wilhelm and Henrietta Augusta geb. Mareńska and had two brothers. After going to school in his birthplace, he received in 1917 in World War I was called up for service in the Prussian army . He was trained as a cavalryman and then deployed on the western front near Verdun . After the armistice in 1918, Małłek took part in the organization of workers' councils in the Prussian army (as a sympathizer of the Spartakusbund ).

In the 1920s and 1930s Małłek worked as a teacher and director at various schools in Działdowo and the surrounding area. In the midst of the largely Catholic population, he was considered a Protestant activist. He also campaigned for the rights and preservation of the Masurian culture and was elected secretary of the Masurian Association in 1931. From April 1935 until the outbreak of World War II he was president of the newly founded Masurian Federation ( Związek Mazurów ; ZM) in Działdowo. The ZM was banned during the war, and Małłek went into hiding in Warsaw under the pseudonym Jan Michał Skoryna in order to get away from the Gestapo . Here he worked underground, including for the newspaper Gazeta Mazury , and published the calendar for Masuria . He has published poems, articles, folklore works and columns.

In 1943 the Masurian League was reactivated. Małłek spoke in December 1944 at a meeting of the Polish Committee for National Liberation ( Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego ; PKWN) about problems in Mazury. In 1945 he was a city councilor in Działdowo for six months. From 1945–1948 he was President of the Institute for Masuria in Olsztyn . He also taught at the Masurian People's University in Rudziska Pasymskie (1945–1950 and 1957–1960). In 1950 and 1951 he worked on the board of trustees of the Olsztyn school administration, but soon left.

He was married to Wilhelmina A. Piecha and had three sons with her, the later writer and scientist Janusz Małłek and Ryszard and Leopold Małłek.

From 1960 to 1963 he lived in Olsztyn and until 1957 in Krutyń, from 1969 in Toruń . Małłek died in Krutyń, but was buried in Olsztyn. In front of the school building in Krutyń, the local administration erected a simple memorial stone for Małłek, on whose board you can read:

“Karol Małłek.
1898-1969.
Writer and Masurian activist.
Society of the Piecki Community "

For many years Karol Małłek was a member of the National Committee of the National United Front. He was active in the Polish Workers 'Party (PPR) and the Polish United Workers' Party. He was also a member of the Polish Writers' Union and an honorary member of the Scientific Research Center “W. Kętrzyński ”in Olsztyn.

Publications

Books (selection)

(German translation of title and year of publication in brackets)

  • Jest dąb nad Mukrem ( There is an oak on Mukrem , together with A. Jarecki, 1956)
  • O dawnych zwyczajach ludowych ( On ancient folk customs , 1966)
  • Z Mazur do Verdun ( From Masuria to Verdun , 4 volumes, 1967)
  • Interludium mazurskie ( Masurian interlude , 1968)
  • Z Mazur do podziemia ( From Masuria to the Underground , 1970)
  • Polskie są Mazury ( Masuria is Polish , 1972)
    For this he received a posthumous award from Polityka magazine in 1973 .
  • Jutrznia mazurska na gody i inne widowiska ( wedding party in Masuria and other plays , 1980)
  • Dzienniki ( Diaries , 1979/1980)

Other publications (selection)

  • Mazurski śpiewnik regionalny (Masurian regional songbook)
  • Plon. Dożynki na Mazurach (Yield. Harvest Festival in Masuria)
  • Wesele mazurskie (A Masurian wedding)
  • Z Mazur do Verdun (From Masuria to Verdun) - memories of the author from the time in the Prussian army at the end of the First World War (1890-1919)

Prizes, awards and honors (selection)

  • In 1956 Małłek was awarded the Literature Prize of the Presidium of the Provincial Council in Olsztyn. He was also awarded the Order of Labor Banner, Second Class, the Polonia Restituta Cavalier's Cross and the Golden Cross of Merit .
  • The primary schools in Krutyń and Narsimia bear his name.
  • The editorial team of Warmia and Mazury has been awarding the Karol Małłek Prize since 1988 .
  • In Działdowo, Olsztyn and Ostróda streets are named after Małłek.

literature

  • Tadeusz Oracki: Słownik Biograficzny Warmii, Mazur i Powiśla XIX i XX wieku (do 1945 roku) (Biographical Dictionary of Warmia, Mazury and Powiśle of the 19th and 20th centuries (up to 1945)). Instytut Wydawniczy Pax, Warszawa 1983, ISBN 83-211-0411-8 , article Małłek Karol , pp. 207-208 (Polish).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Masurian miniatures on informatorium.ksiaznica.torun.pl; Retrieved June 25, 2015.
personal data
SURNAME Mallek, Karl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Małłek, Karol
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Masurian writer, folklorist, publicist and teacher
DATE OF BIRTH March 18, 1898
PLACE OF BIRTH Brodowo
DATE OF DEATH August 28, 1969
Place of death Krutyń (German Kruttinnen)