Janusz Głowacki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janusz Głowacki
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Janusz Głowacki at the 2009 Literaturomania Festival
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| Born | Janusz Andrzej Głowacki 13 September 1938 Poznań, Poland |
| Died | 19 August 2017 (aged 78) Egypt |
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| Nationality | Polish |
| Alma mater | University of Warsaw |
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| Spouse | 1) Ewa Zadrzyńska (divorced) 2) Olena Leonenko (2015-2017; his death) |
| Children | Zuzanna Glowacka |
Janusz Andrzej Głowacki (born September 13, 1938 – died August 19, 2017) was a famous Polish writer. People often called him just Janusz Głowacki or even Głowa. He was a talented playwright (someone who writes plays), an essayist (someone who writes short articles), and a screenwriter (someone who writes movie scripts).
Głowacki received many important awards and honors throughout his life. These included the Guggenheim Fellowship and nominations for the Nike Award and the BAFTA Award. He was also given the Gloria Artis Gold Medal in 2005 for his great contributions to Polish culture. In 2014, he received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Contents
Janusz Głowacki's Life Story
Early Life and Education
Janusz Andrzej Głowacki was born on September 13, 1938, in Poznań, Poland. His family was very educated. His mother, Helena Głowacka, was a literary editor. His father, Jerzy Głowacki, wrote crime novels.
When he was in high school, Janusz acted in two plays. He became very interested in serious theater. This led him to enroll in the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. However, he found it hard to adjust to college life there and left. Later, he studied at the University of Warsaw. He studied both history and Polish language and literature. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Polish language and literature in 1961.
Starting His Writing Career
Janusz Głowacki began his writing career by publishing collections of short stories. These stories showed what life was like in Poland during the 1960s and 1970s. Some of his early works include The Nonsense Spinner (1968) and The New La-ba-da Dance (1970).
His writings became very popular. He became famous for his funny way of showing social issues in his regular articles. He also wrote screenplays for movies. He wrote the script for Andrzej Wajda's Polowanie na muchy (Hunting Flies) in 1969. He also helped write the script for the popular Polish movie Rejs (The Cruise), released in 1970. His short story Brothers was even used for the 2001 film Mechanical Suite. Głowacki also helped write the screenplay for Cold War, a movie that was nominated for a major award at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Moving to New York
In 1981, Janusz Głowacki moved to New York City. This happened after the Communist government in Poland declared martial law in Poland. In New York, he continued to write plays. His play Antigone in New York (1994) was nominated for the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play. He became a well-known person in New York City's art scene.
Teaching and Later Life
Głowacki also shared his knowledge by teaching creative writing. He taught at Columbia University and Bennington College. He also worked as a visiting playwright at places like New York Public Theater, Mark Taper Forum, and Atlantic Center for the Arts.
Janusz Głowacki passed away unexpectedly on August 19, 2017. He was on holiday in Egypt at the time.
Awards and Recognition
Janusz Głowacki received many awards for his amazing writing. Here are some of them:
- 1982: His play Cinders was named the best play of the year by The Guardian and The Times newspapers.
- 1987: He won the American Theatre Critics Association Award for Hunting Cockroaches.
- 1987: He received the John S. Guggenheim Award, a very important award for artists and scholars.
- 1987: Time Magazine named Hunting Cockroaches the best play of the year.
- 1993: Time Magazine also named Antigone in New York one of the best plays of the year.
- 1994: He won the Jurzykowski Prize.
- 1999: He received the Tony Cox Award at the Nantucket Film Festival.
- 2001: His play The Fourth Sister won an award at the International Theatre Festival in Dubrovnik.
- 2005: He received an award from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for his literature.
- 2011: He was given the Czesław Miłosz Award by the US Embassy in Warsaw.
- 2013: He received the Gustaw Award.
- 2018: He won the European Film Award for Best Screenplay for Cold War (with Paweł Pawlikowski).
- 2019: He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay (with Paweł Pawlikowski).
Images for kids
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Janusz Głowacki and Tadeusz Konwicki (Warsaw, 2005)
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Janusz Głowacki and Andrzej Szczytko (Kharkiv Ukrainian Drama Theatre, 2014)
