SKROBISZEWSKA Halina

Born on 11 July 1926 in Lodz; daughter of the teacher Ignacy Skrobiszewski and Anna, née Sosnowska. After completing advanced secondary education in 1945 in Lodz, she studied Polish philology at the University of Lodz (UŁ) until 1952. She also studied briefly at the Academy of Fine Arts (ASP) in Lodz in 1945/46. During her studies she worked as a proofreader for the weekly "Wieś". She moved to Warsaw in 1950, where she was employed at the Centre for Adult Education (Ośrodek Oświaty Dorosłych), where she developed a textbook for teaching Polish language. In 1951, she worked as a copy editor at the State Publishing Institute (Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy). In 1955, she published the article Historycy filozofii w roku Mickiewicza (Historians of Philosophy in the Year of Mickiewicz) in the quarterly "Myśl Filozoficzna" (no. 4). Between 1957 and 1960, she was a librarian at primary school no. 7 in Warsaw, and then until 1964 a Polish teacher in a middle school for working adults. She made her debut as a critic of children's literature in 1958 in "Nowa Kultura" (no. 30), with a discussion of Ewa Szelburg-Zarembina's volume Notatki z jednego życia (Notes from One Life). Between 1959 and 1972, she was a regular contributor to "Nowe Książki", where she published reviews and discussions of children's literature (using by-lines including: H.S., hask., and Joanna Sosnowska). She also wrote reviews of children's literature for the periodicals "Wychowanie" (until 1970; she had the regular column Literatura i wychowanie [Literature and Education]) , "Płomyk" (until 1978; regular columns: Wybieramy książki do czytania [Choosing Books to Read], Książki dla was [Books for You], Wśród książek [Among Books]; using the by-line hask), and "Tygodnik Kulturalny" (1966-71). She joined the Polish Writers' Union (ZLP) in 1967. Between 1968 and 1970, she was head of the Section for Literary Programmes for Children and Youth at Polish Radio. In 1971, she was appointed director of the Museum of Children's Books of the City of Warsaw Public Library. Between 1972 and 1981, she was head of the Circle of Friends of Children's and Youth Books at the Warsaw Branch of ZLP (in 1975 it became the Children's and Youth Literature Club). In 1973, she co-founded the Children's Art Biennial in Poznan, serving on its programme board until 1980. She collaborated with the Inter-University Research Centre for Children's and Youth Literature at the Institute of Polish Literature at the University of Warsaw (UW). She gave numerous lectures on the subject of children's literature before retiring in 1978 for health reasons. In 1979, she received the Poznan-based Golden Goats (Złote Koziołki) award and the Honorary Medal of the City of Poznan in recognition of her critical reflections on works for children and youth. She joined the Independent Self-governing Trade Union Solidarity in 1980. During martial law, imposed in December 1981, she helped interned individuals and their families. She was involved in the Primate's Aid Committee for Individuals Deprived of their Freedom and their Families and in the Pastoral Office for Creative Artists. In 1989, she joined the Polish Writers' Association (SPP) and the Polish PEN Club . She was awarded the Medal of the Commission of National Education in 1973 and the Gold Cross of Merit in 1978. She died on 12 July 1989 in Warsaw, where she is buried at the Northern Communal Cemetery. The Library and Museum of Children's Books of the City of Warsaw Library launched the Halina Skrobiszewska Children's Literature Competition in 2009.