SÅ‚awomir Mrożek (29 June 1930 â€" 15 August 2013) was a Polish
dramatist, writer and cartoonist. In 1963 he emigrated to Italy and
France, then further to Mexico. In 1996 he returned to Poland and
settled in Kraków. In 2008 he moved back to France.[3] He died in
Nice at the age of 83.[4]Mrożek joined the Polish United Workers'
Party during the reign of Stalinism in the People's Republic of
Poland, and made a living as a political journalist. He began writing
plays in the late 1950s. His theatrical works belong to the genre of
absurdist fiction, intended to shock the audience with non-realistic
elements, political and historic references, distortion, and
parody.[5]Mrożek's family lived in Kraków during World War II. He
finished high school in 1949 and in 1950 debuted as a political
hack-writer on Przekrój. In 1952 he moved into the government-run
Writer's House (ZLP headquarters with the restricted canteen).[6] In
1953, during the Stalinist terror in postwar Poland, Mrożek was one
of several signatories of an open letter from ZLP to Polish
authorities supporting the persecution of Polish religious leaders
imprisoned by the Ministry of Public Security. He participated in the
defamation of Catholic priests from Kraków, three of whom were
condemned to death by the Communist government in February 1953 after
being groundlessly accused of treason (see the Stalinist show trial of
the Kraków Curia). Their death sentences were not enforced, although
Father Józef Fudali died in unexplained circumstances while in
prison.[7][8][9][10][11][12] Mrożek wrote a full-page article for the
leading newspaper in support of the verdict, entitled "Zbrodnia
główna i inne" (The Capital Crime and Others),[13] comparing
death-row priests to degenerate SS-men and Ku-Klux-Klan killers.[14]
He married Maria Obremba living in Katowice and relocated to Warsaw in
1959. In 1963 Mrożek travelled to Italy with his wife and decided to
defect together. After five years in Italy, he moved to France and in
1978 received French citizenship.[6]After his defection, Mrożek
turned critical of the Polish communist regime. Later, from the safety
of his residence in France, he also protested publicly against the
1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.[15] Long after the
collapse of the Soviet empire, he commented thus on his fascination
with Communism: .mw-parser-output
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40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote
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dramatist, writer and cartoonist. In 1963 he emigrated to Italy and
France, then further to Mexico. In 1996 he returned to Poland and
settled in Kraków. In 2008 he moved back to France.[3] He died in
Nice at the age of 83.[4]Mrożek joined the Polish United Workers'
Party during the reign of Stalinism in the People's Republic of
Poland, and made a living as a political journalist. He began writing
plays in the late 1950s. His theatrical works belong to the genre of
absurdist fiction, intended to shock the audience with non-realistic
elements, political and historic references, distortion, and
parody.[5]Mrożek's family lived in Kraków during World War II. He
finished high school in 1949 and in 1950 debuted as a political
hack-writer on Przekrój. In 1952 he moved into the government-run
Writer's House (ZLP headquarters with the restricted canteen).[6] In
1953, during the Stalinist terror in postwar Poland, Mrożek was one
of several signatories of an open letter from ZLP to Polish
authorities supporting the persecution of Polish religious leaders
imprisoned by the Ministry of Public Security. He participated in the
defamation of Catholic priests from Kraków, three of whom were
condemned to death by the Communist government in February 1953 after
being groundlessly accused of treason (see the Stalinist show trial of
the Kraków Curia). Their death sentences were not enforced, although
Father Józef Fudali died in unexplained circumstances while in
prison.[7][8][9][10][11][12] Mrożek wrote a full-page article for the
leading newspaper in support of the verdict, entitled "Zbrodnia
główna i inne" (The Capital Crime and Others),[13] comparing
death-row priests to degenerate SS-men and Ku-Klux-Klan killers.[14]
He married Maria Obremba living in Katowice and relocated to Warsaw in
1959. In 1963 Mrożek travelled to Italy with his wife and decided to
defect together. After five years in Italy, he moved to France and in
1978 received French citizenship.[6]After his defection, Mrożek
turned critical of the Polish communist regime. Later, from the safety
of his residence in France, he also protested publicly against the
1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.[15] Long after the
collapse of the Soviet empire, he commented thus on his fascination
with Communism: .mw-parser-output
.templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0
40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote
.templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}
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