Alfred Shklyarsky. Biography and work of the writer

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The novels of this writer tell about the most remote corners of the planet, inviting readers to incredible adventures with their characters. The stories of Alfred Shklyarsky in the distant post-war years opened unfamiliar countries and nationalities to readers. His books invite both children and adults to travel. But surprisingly, the author of fascinating novels himself did not like to travel at all.

About the author

The writer was born in the United States on January 21, 1912 in Chicago, where his father, an activist and member of the Polish Socialist Party, was forced to emigrate in 1908. When Alfred was sixteen years old, the family returned to Poland.

Since 1928, they lived in their mother's hometown of Wloclawka, where Alfred Shklyarsky graduated from high school. In 1932 they moved to Warsaw. Alfred entered the Academy of Political Sciences at the Consulate. He graduated in 1938 and received a diploma. But the war prevented him from starting a political career.

At the academy, hemet his future wife, Christine, whom they married in 1939 at St. James' Church.

War years

During the occupation, the family stayed in Poland. At the end of 1939, Alfred became the editor of the New Warsaw Courier newspaper, which was published under the control of the invaders. Under the pseudonyms Marek Smuha, Alfred Muravsky, Alfred Gruda, he publishes more than a hundred of his stories and first novels in the New Courier.

Alfred joined the Home Army, fought against the invaders, took part in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Then he moved to Krakow, and from February 1945 he finally settled in Katowice.

Alfred Shklyarsky in 1949 was sentenced to eight years in prison for publishing in the newspaper "Warsaw Courier" during the Nazi occupation. He was accused of "acting against the Polish people". The writer defended himself.

But the court did not take into account either Alfred's participation in the Warsaw Uprising, or his participation in the fight against the invaders in the ranks of the Home Army, where he showed courage and devotion to his country. Eyewitness accounts did not help either.

In 1953, Shklyarsky was granted an amnesty and released. After that, he worked as an editor at the Śląsk publishing house until 1977. The writer died in Katowice on 1992-09-04.

Literary activity

Shklyarsky's debut took place at a time when Poland was occupied by fascist troops. His first novels were aimed at an adult audience: "Iron Claw" (1942), "Blood Diamonds"(1943), Secret of the Tomb (1944).

In the post-war years, Alfred Shklyarsky signed books with pseudonyms Alfred Bronsky or Fred Garland. The first post-war books "Hot Trail" (1946), "Three Sisters" (1946), "Don't Wait for Me" (1947) and Błędne ognie (1947), written under the pseudonym Alfred Bronsky, were not noticed by readers or critics.

The discouraged writer decided to try his hand at writing for young readers. In 1947, under the pseudonym Fred Garland, he wrote the children's novel Tom in Trouble. In general, he possessed remarkable patience and courage. Alfred Shklyarsky endured the horrors of war and occupation with honor. The biography of this author confirms how much a person can be devoted to his country, readers, favorite business.

In 1951, the writer's books were withdrawn from all libraries and were banned by censorship. But he continued to create, inviting his readers to an unusual world and incredible adventures.

The book "Tom in Trouble" tells about a boy of Polish origin, who was born in America. When he learns about the Warsaw Uprising from American newspapers, he goes to his native country on a Polish ship. But he ends up in Africa, where incredible adventures await him. The book was a success, and the novel became the prototype of the series "The Adventures of Tomek Wilmowski".

Tomek and his friends

The first book in the series "Tomek in Kangaroo Country" (1957) did not bring the expected success. But at the insistence of the editor, Alfred continued to work on this series, made corrections, following the advice of the publisher. The second edition won heartsreaders. And in subsequent years, eight more books of this cycle appeared.

Novels intended for a youth audience, the editor persuaded Shklyarsky to sign with his real name. The cycle of novels tells about the boy Tomek, who travels around the world with his friends and gets into extraordinary adventures.

The hero of his books, Tomek, is an exemplary student, a good friend who appreciates true friendship. The nine-book series is replete with geographical, historical, and cultural facts. Written with a bit of humor and will appeal to teenagers, for whom the author created his works.

The last novel in this series, Tomek in the Land of the Pharaohs, was left unfinished. It was published thanks to Adam Zelga who completed it based on notes compiled by the author. The novel was released in 1994.

Indian Trilogy

Co-authored with his wife Kristina, Alfred Shklyarsky wrote a trilogy about the Sioux, an Indian tribe of North America. The Gold of the Black Hills cycle describes the traditions, the religion of the indigenous population, the conflicts between the Indian tribes, and also does not ignore the undeclared war that the white people waged against the Indian tribes.

Shklyarsky's novels about the history and suffering of the indigenous peoples of America are said to be riddled with pain because they were written by an author who survived the Nazi occupation. The tragic history of his native country and the cruelty of the invaders left a deep imprint on the author's soul. He believed that the history of Native Americans was akin to Polishpopulation that they tried to destroy and exterminate.

The only difference was that the Poles managed to survive this invasion, while the natives of America eventually lost their lands. Alfred Shklyarsky strongly condemned interracial conflicts and violence and always stood up for world peace, not welcoming any interethnic strife.

The novels of this cycle were a huge success. They convey historical facts and the culture of the Indians with incredible accuracy. For Polish readers living behind the Iron Curtain, it was just a storehouse of knowledge and discoveries. The writer drew his knowledge from books, magazines, newspapers.

Author of travel books who doesn't like to travel

The writer Alfred Shklyarsky was fluent in English, German and French. He knew Italian well. But he did not like to travel.

The trip to Egypt, where he first went with his wife, was not entirely successful. In it, Alfred received severe poisoning and spent most of the trip in a hospital bed. Since then, I have been looking forward to returning from my wife's trips, from where she invariably brought exotic souvenirs and new stories.

The author's books brought him worldwide fame. He has received several awards, including the Orle Pióro (1968) and the "Order of the Smile", an award given by children (1971). In addition, Shklyarsky was twice awarded by the Prime Minister for his works for young readers (1973, 1987). He was a member of the Association of Authors of Poland.

BooksShklyarsky were translated into Russian and Bulgarian. Unfortunately, they were not published in English. Eleven million copies sold in Poland alone.

His novels are still very popular today, despite the fact that more than a dozen years have passed since their publication. They continue to find more and more readers among adults and children.