Zbigniew Folejewski—International Slavist

Abstract

Professor Zbigniew Folejewski, an outstanding and prolific scholar and a great teacher in the field of Slavonic Studies and Comparative Literature, but before anything else a wonderful father and a loved and respected human being, died on 28 July 1999 in Victoria, British Columbia. Unlike many of his compatriot colleagues, who have been teaching in many of the world universities outside of their land because of political considerations, Zbigniew ventured abroad of his own will, before countries became engulfed in World War II. He spent all his adult life working outside of Poland, yet he never lost his ties with his fatherland and its people. He worked tirelessly to present literature and culture to the communities in which he taught. Zbigniew was born on 18 October 1910 in Wilno (now Vilnius) at the time a part of the Russian empire. He was the son of Jozef Benedykt and Bronislawa nee Hajkowska. His father, when he was a student at the Warsaw University, took an active part in the struggle for independence and was engaged in political activity among workers. For that in 1905 he was expelled from the university. He moved to Suwalki where he found work as a teacher and where he organized the first library and a reading room; he also became a member of the editorial board of the Suwalki Weekly. At the same time he pursued his studies at the University of Petersburg from which he graduated on 30 March 1907. He then settled in Warsaw to become active in the left wing movement of the Socialist Party (PPS) and also in the publication of Zwiqzkowiec, Rzesza and Promien, all three political journals. In May 1908 he was arrested together with the other members of the subversive organization and spent time in the infamous Ratuszow and Pawiak prisons in Warsaw and in Lukieszki prison in Wilno. After trial he was exiled to remote area in inner Russia. In 1909 he was allowed to return to Poland, back to Wilno where he worked in a law firm and the Wilno Land Bank. A year later he travelled to Lwow, Prague and Vienna to study economics. At the outbreak of World War I he was mobilized into Russian army, but because of poor eyesight was posted to a branch of the Red Cross in Minsk where he remained until the town was taken over by the forces in 1919. It was then possible for him to return to Wilno and resume his law practice. In July 1927 he was elected president of the city of Wilno. For political reasons he had to resign his position in 1933 and became a judge in Wilno Appeal Court. After the Soviet army occupied the city in 1939 he worked as a modest accountant and later as a common labourer. He was killed on 22 June 1941 during a bombardment of the city by the Germans. From his father Zbigniew inherited his intense love for his country and the city of Wilno. Zbigniew spent his earlier childhood in Russia where he attended school and became familiar with the language. The family moved to Wilno in 1919. He attended high school named after [n.a.] Zygmunt August and later attended the University of Wilno n.a. Stefan Batory from which he obtained an M.A. degree in Slavic and general literature. His Master's thesis dealt with the prose of Wt. Orkan. In his university studies he excelled in history of literature and in Comparative Studies of Modern Literature, which subsequently led him to specialize in Slavic and European literatures. He graduated in 1934. Throughout his high school and university he showed himself to be creative, with interest both in prose and poetry. Throughout his life Zbigniew combined his interest and love of literature with a deep concern for the social issues of the day. He initiated and participated in various organizations. While still a student in Wilno he was in charge of the Association of Literature Students at the University, he was also the leader of a group called Original Creativity, and was also a member of the publishing committee of the Polish Cultural Studies. …