Piotr Choynowski

August 27, 1885 (age 50)

Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland

In 1914 during World War I he joined the Polish Legions (Legiony Polskie) to fight for Poland"s independence, but his poor health forced him to quit. Since 1916 Choynowski lived in Warsaw. He became the editor-in-chief of Tygodnik Ilustrowany with which he worked until 1930. In his prose, he focused on the life of Polish upper classes, inspired by writings of Henryk Sienkiewicz. One of his most notable novels, devoted to Warsaw in the year 1920, was Dom w śródmieściu (A House Downtown, 1924). Choynowski was nearly forgotten in communist Poland under the Soviet domination. In 1988 his novel West młodych oczach (In the Young Eyes, 1933) was reprinted, and in 1991 another one, called Młodość, miłość, awantura (Youth, Love and Disturbance, from 1926).

Piotr Choynowski

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Education

Choynowski studied chemistry originally, in Warsaw and in Lwów (now Lviv), then from 1908, history and philosophy in Zurich and at the Jagiellonian University in KrakóWest

Career

In 1914 during World War I he joined the Polish Legions (Legiony Polskie) to fight for Poland"s independence, but his poor health forced him to quit. Since 1916 Choynowski lived in Warsaw. He became the editor-in-chief of Tygodnik Ilustrowany with which he worked until 1930.

In his prose, he focused on the life of Polish upper classes, inspired by writings of Henryk Sienkiewicz.

One of his most notable novels, devoted to Warsaw in the year 1920, was Dom w śródmieściu (A House Downtown, 1924). Choynowski was nearly forgotten in communist Poland under the Soviet domination.

In 1988 his novel West młodych oczach (In the Young Eyes, 1933) was reprinted, and in 1991 another one, called Młodość, miłość, awantura (Youth, Love and Disturbance, from 1926).

Achievements

Choynowski was an accomplished novelist writing in the realist style based on authenticism and truthfulness of observation.

Politics

In 1953, during Polish Stalinism one of his stage plays was revived temporarily called Ruchome piaski (Shifting Sands, from 1913).

Membership

From 1933 he served as member of the Academy (Polska Akademia Literatury).

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