Edmund Jan Osmańczyk (August 10, 1913, Deutsch Jägel,

Lower Silesia Lower Silesia ( pl, Dolny Śląsk; cz, Dolní Slezsko; german: Niederschlesien; szl, Dolny Ślōnsk; hsb, Delnja Šleska; dsb, Dolna Šlazyńska; Silesian German: ''Niederschläsing''; la, Silesia Inferior) is the northwestern part of the ...

, German Empire – October 4, 1989,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, People's Republic of Poland), was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

writer, author of ''Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements''. Osmanczyk-tablica

Osmańczyk was born into a family of Polish

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

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in 1913. During the interwar period he would contribute to the

Union of Poles in Germany Union of Poles in Germany ( pl, Związek Polaków w Niemczech, german: Bund der Polen in Deutschland e.V.) is an organisation of the Polish minority in Germany, founded in 1922. In 1924, the union initiated collaboration between other minorities, ...

, consisting out of Polish immigrants in the

Ruhr area The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

( Ruhr Poles) and other industrial centres, as well as out of Polish minority living in villages in the German-Polish 1919–1939 border region. After the Nazi era, he would become a political deputy in communist Poland and promote Re-

polonization Polonization (or Polonisation; pl, polonizacja)In Polish historiography, particularly pre-WWII (e.g., L. Wasilewski. As noted in Смалянчук А. Ф. (Smalyanchuk 2001) Паміж краёвасцю і нацыянальнай ідэя� ...

Recovered Territories The Recovered Territories or Regained Lands ( pl, Ziemie Odzyskane), also known as Western Borderlands ( pl, Kresy Zachodnie), and previously as Western and Northern Territories ( pl, Ziemie Zachodnie i Północne), Postulated Territories ( pl, Z ...

Education

Osmańczyk's first academic training was as an historian. He obtained a degree in history from the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields o ...

before going to Berlin to study journalism. He fled from Germany to avoid conscription in the army.

Fight against Nazi occupation

Not just content to wield a pen, Osmańczyk served as a soldier in the resistance force against the German occupation of Warsaw. He participated in the 1944 uprising. Later, in 1945, when the resistance against the Germans became successful, he became a war correspondent for the Polish Army.

Journalism career and major works

Osmańczyk covered the Potsdam Conference and the Nuremberg trials extensively. His articles on these were compiled and published as ''Prussia'' in 1947. The reporting on these two events marked the beginning of phase in his journalistic career during which he became and foreign correspondent. Between 1946–1968, Osmańczyk traveled to several countries and participated in important international conferences. He later became a spokesman for the United Nations. Osmańczyk's literary debut had come in 1937, with the publication of his poetry collection, ''Sunny Freedom''. His later works, like the ''Poles'' (1947), were compilations of his experiences of war. His later books include ''Himmler'' (1951), ''Asia in Geneva'' (1955), ''Notre Europe'' (1971). He also wrote erudite commentaries such as the ''Encyclopedia of International Affairs and the United Nations'' (1974) and the ''Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Relations'' (1982). His books won several state and international awards.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osmanczyk, Edmund 1913 births 1989 deaths People from Strzelin County People from the Province of Silesia Members of the Polish Sejm 1952–1956 Members of the Polish Sejm 1969–1972 Members of the Polish Sejm 1972–1976 Members of the Polish Sejm 1976–1980 Members of the Polish Sejm 1980–1985 Members of the Senate of Poland 1989–1991 Polish male writers Warsaw Uprising insurgents Recipients of the Order of the Builders of People's Poland Recipients of the State Award Badge (Poland)