Irena Jurgielewiczowa facts for kids

Irena Jurgielewiczowa (born Irena Drozdowicz) was a famous Polish teacher and writer. She wrote many books for children and young adults. She was born on January 13, 1903, and lived to be 100 years old, passing away on May 25, 2003.

During World War II, she secretly taught students. She was also part of the Armia Krajowa, a Polish resistance group. She even took part in the Warsaw Uprising, a big fight for freedom. After the war, she taught at the University of Warsaw.

Irena Jurgielewiczowa is most famous for her books Ten obcy (That Stranger, 1961) and Inna?.

Her Life Story

Irena Jurgielewiczowa was born in Działoszyn, Poland. She went to the University of Warsaw to study Polish language and literature. She earned a special degree called a doctorate in 1928. She also studied pedagogy, which is the art of teaching, at the Free Polish University.

She started working as a teacher in Warsaw in 1928. From 1932 to 1934, she lived in France. When she came back, she became a lecturer at the Free Polish University.

World War II and Resistance

During World War II, Poland was occupied. Irena Jurgielewiczowa became an "underground teacher." This meant she taught students in secret, because regular schools were closed or controlled by the occupiers.

She joined the Armia Krajowa, which was a secret Polish army fighting against the occupation. She bravely took part in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. This was a major battle where Poles fought to free their capital city. After the uprising, she was captured and became a prisoner of war in Germany until the war ended.

While the war was still going on, she wrote her first book for children. It was called Historia o czterech pstroczkach.

After the War

After World War II, Irena Jurgielewiczowa returned to Warsaw. She taught at the University of Warsaw from 1947 to 1950. She also worked as a literature director for a theater called the National Theatre of New Warsaw.

From 1954, she decided to become a full-time writer. Her books became very popular and were translated into many languages. These included Bulgarian, Czech, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Ukrainian.

Irena Jurgielewiczowa was married to a painter named Mieczysław Jurgielewicz. She lived a long life, passing away at over 100 years old on August 4, 2003.

Her Books and Awards

People say that Irena Jurgielewiczowa understood young readers very well. She knew their problems and how they thought. Her books helped them grow ethically and intellectually. Readers loved her because she was "smart but not bossy." They also said she was patriotic but not nationalistic.

She wrote many books for children and young adults. She also wrote some mémoires, which are like personal stories from her life.

Major Awards

Irena Jurgielewiczowa received several important awards for her writing:

• In 1958, she won the Award of the President of the Council of Ministers.
• A year later, she received the Award of the City of Warsaw.
• Her most famous book, Ten obcy (That Stranger, 1961), earned her a special honor in 1964. It was a diploma from the International Board on Books for Young People.
• The sequel to Ten obcy, called Inna? (Other?, 1975), was listed in the Premio Europeo.
• Her autobiography, Byłam, byliśmy (I was, we were, 1998), was a finalist for the Nike Award. This is a very important literary prize in Poland.
• She also received the Order of the Smile. This is a unique award given by children to adults who bring them joy.

List of Works

Here are some of the books Irena Jurgielewiczowa wrote:

• 1948: Historia o czterech pstroczkach
• 1948: Warszawa-serce Polski
• 1949: Literatura najłatwiejsza
• 1950: Wiewiórcza mama
• 1951: Osiem lalek i jeden miś (a play)
• 1954: KETSIS, Lubiński szczur
• 1957: O chłopcu, który szukał domu
• 1958: Kajtek, warszawski szpak
• 1960: Jak jeden malarz chciał namalować szczęśliwego motyla
• 1961: Ten obcy
• 1963: Rozbita szyba (a short story)
• 1964: Niespokojne godziny
• 1966: Tort orzechowy (a short story)
• 1968: Wszystko inaczej
• 1969: Niebezpieczna przygoda (a short story)
• 1971: Ważne i nieważne
• 1975: Inna?
• 1982: Strategia czekania (an autobiography)
• 1998: Byłam, byliśmy (an autobiography)

Images for kids

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  Jurgielewiczowa in 1988