Tadeusz Konwicki was one of Poland’s most influential literary voices of the twentieth century. He debuted in 1947 and wrote over two dozen books including socialist realist novels; novels categorized as “local patriotism” that celebrate a prewar, idyllic Lithuania; miscellanies or modern-day
silva rerum; and grim political grotesques that criticize the absurdity of totalitarianism. His biography, ideological evolution, and œuvre are representative of a generation whose world was indelibly marked by twentieth-century history and politics, in particular World War II and the rise and fall of communism.
Konwicki was born in Nowa Wilejka, Poland (today Naujoji Vilnia, Lithuania) on 22 June 1926 to Jadwiga (née Kieżun) and Michał Konwicki, a craftsman. After his father’s death,
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Citation: Wampuszyc, Ewa. "Tadeusz Konwicki". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 December 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12660, accessed 27 November 2024.]