Polish literature during World War II

For the first generation, after gaining independence in 1918, September 1939 began with the darkest scenario. The fledgling country faced again the brutality of war and the sorrow of the loss of freedom. The development of literature and culture however was very active during the German occupation: the underground press was set up and groups of young writers started to form. Warsaw was not only the capital of Poland but also the main cultural capital. Warsaw University started to operate in the underground, which helped to maintain a patriotic spirit, not only in cultural aspects but also in military ones.

People from the "Columbus generation" became the most creative: Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, Tadeusz Gajcy, and Andrzej Trzebiński were the best known – and established the specifics and tendencies of Polish war literature. In German-occupied territories, there were also active writers from the older generation: Leopold Staff, Maria Dąbrowska, Zofia Nałkowska, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Jerzy Zagórski, and Czesław Miłosz. Writers, who were startled by the invasion by the Soviet Union started to work for the communist monthly magazine Nowe Widnokregi (New Horizons), and many of them worked later in the Union of Polish Patriots). Some of these were: Wanda Wasilewska, Jerzy Putrament, and Adam Ważyk. Many writers were arrested, taken to labour or concentration camps or to Soviet camps.

The voice of writers on emigration was also audible. Many of them found asylum in Great Britain and the United States. In France the weekly magazine Polish News was published. Despite the tough historical circumstances, war literature was very varied in many terms. It was multigenerational work that surprised by its diversity of views and thoughts.

Poetry was the most popular type of literature in those times and the lyrics of young artists (Baczynski, Gajcy, Borowski) characterised the deepest tone. In the time of war and occupation developed also prose writing (Andrzej Trzebiński, Tadeusz Gajcy), where the short forms dominated such as novellas and short stories (Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz, Jerzy Andrzejewski). Literature was also the evidence of truth about war, it was notable especially in autobiographical-confessional forms – diaries and memoirs (Maria Dąbrowska, Zofia Nałkowska, Andrzej Trzebinski). During the war, non-fiction blossomed, in an attempt to describe a time of contempt: (Melchior Wańkowicz, Józef Czapski, Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, Borowski).

The generation of young writers born around 1920, whose adolescence held during World War II. All of them took part in the resistance against German occupiers and were active during the Warsaw Uprising. Name stemmed from the title of the book The Kolumbs. Year 20 written by Roman Bratny. Representatives of this generation weren't able to lead normal, carefree lives. From the beginning they faced the brutality of the war and had to deal with life during the occupation.[4]

Best known representatives of the Kolumbs generation: Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, Władysław Bartoszewski, Miron Białoszewski, Teresa Bogusławska, Wacław Bojarski, Tadeusz Borowski, Roman Bratny, Olgierd Budrewicz, Jerzy Ficowski, Tadeusz Gajcy, Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, Krystyna Krahelska, Wojciech Mencel, Włodzimierz Pietrzak, Jan Romocki, Tadeusz Różewicz, Zdzislaw Stroinski, Wisława Szymborska, Andrzej Trzebiński, Józef Szczepański, Zbigniew Herbert, AND Józef Szczepański

After the September defeat, culture was assessed as an important psychological factor responsible for collective fate. Writers started to confront reality with literature from twenties of the interwar era, young poets found their own point of view and started to shape the attitudes of Polish society in face of the war. At that time poets were no longer unreasonable romantic artists, as it was before the war, but they were soldiers, who also felt as the voice of Polish nation. Young writers reinterpreted old writings giving them a new meaning, where valuation of the past gained new, moral dimension.

All of their views were described in well-known underground magazine Sztuka i Narod ("Art and Society"). The stories of its editors revealed a hopeless battle for independence: Onufry Bronislaw Kopczynski – first organizer of the magazine, were shot in camp in Majdanek, Waclaw Bojarski – his associate, died from injuries after the action under Mikolaj Kopernik monument, Andrzej Trzebinski, one of the last directors, was shot dead in a public execution in November 1943, and Tadeusz Gajcy died during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.

• Tomasz Wroczyński, Literatura polska po 1939 roku, WSiP 1996
• Józef Lewandowski, Wokół biografii K. K. Baczyńskiego, Szkło bolesne, obraz dni. Eseje nieprzedawnione, Ex Libris, Uppsala 1991