State Literary Award (Poland)

The State Literary Award was a Polish literature award during the interwar period.^[1][2] It was awarded starting in 1925 for a work published in the previous three years. The award was given by a five-person jury, consisting of three representatives from the largest creative unions, a critic, and a representative of the ministry, all chosen by the current Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education.^[3]

Members of the State Literary Award jury in 1935. From the left: Władysław Zawistowski [pl], Leopold Staff, Józef Ujejski [pl], Leon Pomirowski [pl], Wincenty Rzymowski

In 1933, the award was modified to recognize an author's entire body of work, with special attention to the last five years.^[4] The monetary component of the award was gradually increased, reaching 20,000 PLN in 1930, while in 1925 it was only 5,000 PLN.^[5][6]

The first recipient of the award (18 January 1925) was Stefan Żeromski (for Wiatr od morza [pl] [The Wind from the Sea]).^[7][8] In later years, the award was presented in December. The last laureate of the award during the Second Polish Republic was Artur Górski [pl], who was honored in December 1938 for his long-standing literary work.^[5]

The Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education also awarded similar prizes in the fields of fine arts and music.^[4]

An award with a similar name (The Badge of the State Award [pl] in Literature, often colloquially referred to as the State Literary Award)^[9][10][11] was also awarded during the Polish People's Republic by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. It was divided into three levels.^[12]

Presentation of the State Literary Award for 1934 to Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna by the Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education, Wacław Jędrzejewicz, in January 1935

Recipients

• Stefan Żeromski (1925, for Wiatr od morza [pl] [The Wind from the Sea])^[3][7][8]
• Kornel Makuszyński (1926, for Wide is My Motherland)^[3][12]
• Leopold Staff (1927, for Ucho igielne [pl] [The Eye of the Needle])^[12][13][14]
• Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski (1928, for the novellas Miasto mojej matki [pl] [The City of My Mother] and W cieniu zapomnianej olszyny [In the Shadow of the Forgotten Alder])^[12][15]
• Ferdynand Goetel (1929, for Serce lodów [The Heart of Ice])^[12][16]
• Jerzy Szaniawski (1930, for the play Adwokat i róże [pl] [The Lawyer and the Roses])^[13][17]
• Wacław Berent (1931, for biographical stories, especially Wywłaszczenie muz [Expropriation of the Muses])^{[12][16][18][19]}
• Karol Hubert Rostworowski (1932, for Niespodzianka [pl] [The Surprise])^{[12][13][16][20][21][22]}
• Maria Dąbrowska (1933, for Noce i dnie [pl] [Nights and Days])^[23]
• Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna (1934)^[16][24]
• Zofia Nałkowska (1935, for The Frontier)^[16][25]
• Kazimierz Wierzyński (1936)^[26]
• Wacław Borowy [pl] (1937)^[27]
• Artur Górski [pl] (1938)^[5]

References

1. Osnowa (in Polish). Wydawnictwo Łódzkie. 1981. p. 94. The highest authority was undoubtedly held by the Literary Award of the Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education, established in 1925, also known as the State Literary Award.
2. Kostecki, Janusz (1999). Z dziejów mecenatu kulturalnego w Polsce: studia [From the History of Cultural Patronage in Poland: Studies] (in Polish). Biblioteka Narodowa. p. 218. ISBN 978-83-7009-376-1. The most important was the State Literary Award (officially: the Literary Award of the Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education).
3. Jazienicki, Zbigniew; Kiljan, Konrad (25 September 2020). Niepodległa Polska – nowoczesna literatura? [Independent Poland – Modern Literature?] (in Polish). Muzeum Józefa Piłsudskiego w Sulejówku. ISBN 978-83-63872-28-1.
4. "Postanowienie Ministra Wyznań Religijnych i Oświecenia Publicznego" [The Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education] (PDF). isap.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish). 19 December 1933. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
5. Nowa książka [New Book] (in Polish). Wydawnictwo Księgarni Trzaski, Everta i Michalskiego. 1938. December 22, 1938. The State Literary Award (5,000 PLN): Artur Górski, for his long-standing literary activity, and in particular for his recent works, which address fundamental issues of contemporary Polish life in a profound and sincere manner.
6. Żółkiewski, Stefan (1973). Kultura literacka (1918–1932) [Literary Culture (1918–1932)] (in Polish). Ossolineum. p. 192. Initially, the prize was 5,000 PLN. In 1927, it was raised to 10,000 PLN, in 1929 to 15,000 PLN, and in 1930 to 20,000 PLN.
7. Kronika dziejów Polski [Chronicle of the History of Poland] (in Polish). R. Kluszczyński. 1995. p. 252. ISBN 978-83-86328-34-5.
8. Eile, Stanisław; Kasztelowicz, Stanisław (1976). Stefan Żeromski, kalendarz życia i twórczości [Stefan Żeromski: Calendar of Life and Work] (in Polish). Wydawnictwo Literackie. p. 562.
9. Czachowska, Jadwiga; Szałagan, Alicja (1999). Współcześni polscy pisarze i badacze literatury: słownik biobibliograficzny [Contemporary Polish Writers and Literary Scholars: Biobibliographical Dictionary] (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwa szkolne i pedagogiczne. pp. 49, 530, 531. ISBN 978-83-02-07446-2.
10. Heska-Kwaśniewicz, Krystyna (1988). "Pisarski zakon". Biografia literacka Gustawa Morcinka ["The Writer's Order": A Literary Biography of Gustaw Morcinek] (in Polish). Katowice: Instytut Śląski. p. 20. The most outstanding work of Morcinek from those years was Pokład Joanny (Joanna's Hold). For it, the author received the Second-Class State Literary Award in 1951. Let's look at who received awards that year and for what. The year before, Leon Kruczkowski received the First-Class award for Niemców (The Germans), but Tadeusz Konwicki received the Third-Class award for Przy budowie (During the Construction), Jan Wilczek for Numer 16 produkuje (Number 16 Produces), Wiktor Woroszylski for the poetry collection Śmierci nie ma (There Is No Death) and for Poemat o generale Świerczewskim (Poem about General Świerczewski), and Bogdan Hamera for the novel Na przykład Plewa (For Example, Plewa). At the same time as Morcinek, Halina Rudnicka received the Second-Class award for the novel Uczniowie Spartakusa (The Students of Spartacus), Janina Broniewska for Ogniwo (The Link), and Aleksander Ścibor-Rylski for Węgiel (Coal), all Third-Class awards.
11. Obremski, Krzysztof (2003). ""Inżynier dusz ludzkich" w muzeum literatury dawnej. Nad książką Heleny Bobińskiej "Soso"" ["Engineer of Human Souls" at the Museum of Old Literature. On Helena Bobińska's book "Soso"]. Pamiętnik Literacki (in Polish) (4). Instytut Badań Literackich Polskiej Akademii Nauk. ISSN 0031-0514. Although the author was awarded the State Literary Award of the Third Degree in 1953 for her book.
12. Literatura polska 1918-1975 [Polish Literature 1918-1975] (in Polish). Vol. 3. Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna. 1975. pp. 39, 93–97.
13. Kazimierski, Józef (1979). Kultura Warszawy: materiały sesji naukowej, 19-20 stycznia 1978 r [Culture of Warsaw: Proceedings of the Scientific Session, January 19-20, 1978] (in Polish). Państ. Wydaw. Naukowe. p. 132. ISBN 978-83-01-00063-9.
14. Eustachiewicz, Lesław (1973). Miedzy wspolczenóscią a historią [Between Modernity and History] (in Polish). Pax. p. 45. The Lasting resonance was achieved by Ucho igielne (awarded the State Literary Award in 1927)
15. Garlicki, Andrzej (1999). Encyklopedia historii Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej [Encyclopedia of the History of the Second Republic of Poland] (in Polish). Wiedza Powszechna. p. 145. ISBN 978-83-214-1101-9. Miasto mojej matki (1925) and W cieniu zapomnianej olszyny (1926), honored with the State Literary Award in 1928.
16. "Za 1936 rok" [For 1936]. Nowa książka (in Polish). 3: XXXIX. 1936. Previously, the award was received by: 1925 Żeromski; 1926 Makuszyński; 1927 Staff; 1928 Kaden-Bandrowski; 1929 F. Goetel; 1930 J. Szaniawski; 1931 K.H. Rostworowski; 1932 W. Berent; 1933 M. Dąbrowska; 1934 K. Iłłakowiczówna.
17. "Twórczość" [Works]. Prasa-Książka-Ruch (in Polish). 26 (5–8): 129. 1970. For the play Adwokat i róże, he received the State Literary Award in 1930.
18. Kukurowski, Stanisław (1995). Inspiracje oświeceniowe w literaturze polskiej lat 1918-1981 [Enlightenment Inspirations in Polish Literature of 1918-1981] (in Polish). Wrocław: Wydawn. Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego. p. 47. ISBN 978-83-229-1206-5. Berent's biographical stories... were awarded the State Literary Award for 1932.
19. Zaczyński, Marian (1980). "Repetycje i rewizje nad twórczością Wacława Berenta" [Repetitions and Revisions in the Work of Wacław Berent]. Ruch Literacki (in Polish). 3 (120). ISSN 0035-9602. In connection with awarding Berent the State Literary Award for Wywłaszczenie muz – excerpts from Nurt – in 1932.
20. Guderian-Czaplińska, Ewa (2004). Teatralna Arkadia: poznańskie teatry dramatyczne 1918-1939 [Theatrical Arcadia: Dramatic Theatres in Poznań 1918-1939] (in Polish). Poznań: Wydawn. Naukowe UAM. p. 223. ISBN 978-83-232-1372-7. His place among the most significant creators was solidified by the State Literary Award, which he received in 1932 for Niespodzianka.
21. Nycz, Ryszard; Jarzębski, Jerzy (1997). Lektury polonistyczne: II wojna światowa. Dwudziestolecie międzywojenne [Polonistic Readings: World War II. The Interwar Period] (in Polish). Inst. Filologii Polskiej. p. 83. ISBN 978-83-7052-937-6. In 1932, Karol H. Rostworowski was awarded the State Literary Award for Niespodzianka.
22. Klépfisz, Hészel (1999). Przedwojenny świat przez pryzmat młodego Żyda polskiego: eseje 1931-1937 [The Pre-War World Through the Prism of a Young Polish Jew: Essays 1931-1937] (in Polish). Eran Reut. p. 29. The State Literary Award for 1931 was awarded to Karol Hubert Rostworowski for the dramatic work Niespodzianka.
23. Gembicki, Jerzy; Mitzner, Zbigniew (1966). Wzdłuż dalekiego brzegu: wybór reportaży z lat międzywojennych [Along the Distant Shore: A Selection of Interwar Period Reportages] (in Polish). Czytelnik. p. 732. In 1933, she received the State Literary Award for her greatest work, Noce i dnie.
24. "Wręczenie nagrody Iłłakowiczównie" [Presentation of the Award to Iłłakowiczówna]. Nowy Kurier (in Polish). 15: 1. 1935. Warsaw, January 17. On January 16, Minister W. R. and O. P. W. Jędrzejewicz, in the presence of the members of the competition jury, presented Ms. K. Iłłakowiczówna with the literary award she had been granted at the Ministry building and delivered a brief speech.
25. Kozikowski, Edward (1964). Więcej prawdy niż plotki: wspomnienia o pisarzach czasów minionych [More Truth Than Gossip: Memoirs of Writers from Past Times] (in Polish). Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy. p. 148. In 1935, Zofia Nałkowska's new novel Granica was published and was immediately honored with the State Literary Award.
26. Szleszyński, Bartłomiej (2003). "Kazimierz Wierzyński". culture.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-13.
27. "Wacław Borowy (1890–1950)". www.bilp.uw.edu.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-09-13.