JĘCZMYK Lech

Born on 10 January 1936 in Bydgoszcz; sone of Marian Jęczmyk and Jadwiga, née Kruszyńska. During the German occupation, he and his family were forced to move to Warsaw in 1939, where he remained after the war. He attended secondary school in the city and was head of the school's Union of Polish Youth (ZMP) organization. After completing his advanced secondary education, he studied Russian philology at the University of Warsaw (UW), graduating with a master's degree in 1960. During his studies, he took up judo at the the Warsaw Academic Sports Association (AZS), winning a bronze medal in one category at the Polish national championships. He also represented Poland in international competitions. Between 1959 and 1963, he worked at the library of the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). He then served as head of the editorial board of the Iskry State Publishing House to 1978, where between 1970 and 1976 he ran Kroki w nieznane (Steps into the Unknown), a project that he conceived publishing a series of anthologies of of fantasy stories. He made his debut as a translator in 1964 with a translation from Russian of a Yuri Dobriakov short story that appeared in Polish as Konstelacja Raka (The Constellation of Cancer) in the periodical "Filipinki" (no. 11; under the initials L.J.) and another translation from English of John Collier's short story Wet Saturday (Polish translation: Deszczowa sobota w dobranym towarzystwie) that appeared in "Panorama" (no. 36). He published further translations from these languages in subsequent years. These translations as well as his articles appeared in periodicals including "Sztandar Młodych" (1965), "Filipinka" (1966 and 1971), "ITD" (1966-1969, 1971-72, 1976, and 1987; also signed: L.J. and (jb)), "Przyjaźń"(1966, 1972), "Literatura Radziecka" (1969-70), "Współczesność" (1970; also signed L.J.), "Problemy" (1971, 1973, 1975, 1979, and 1981-86; also signed: L. J.), "Zielony Sztandar" (1972), "Nowe Książki" (1974 and 1980), "Nowy Wyraz" (1974), "Odgłosy" (1975 and 1982), "Literatura na Świecie" (1976 and 1982-84), "Wiedza i Życie" (1977), and "Nurt" (1979-80 and 1987). In 1974, he was given the honour of Meritorious Activist of Culture. From 1976 to its dissolution in 1983, he was a member of the Polish Writers' Union (ZLP). Between 1978 and 1984, he was head of the English-language literature section of the Czytelnik Publishing Cooperation. His roles included editing the science fiction series Z kosmonautą (With a Cosmonaut). In 1978, he was awarded the Prize of the Polish Society of Authors and Composers (ZAiKS) for his translations of Soviet and US-American literature. He was involved in the democratic opposition and was active in formal politics after 1989. He was a member of the editorial team of the Solidarity-linked publication at the National Library, "Komunikaty Niezależnego Samorządnego Związku Zawodowego »Solidarność« przy Bibliotece Narodowej". From 1981 to 1989, he was active in the Pastoral Service of the Creative Arts (Duszpasterstwo Środowisk Twórczych) and from 1981 to 1984 in the inter-publishing house Solidarity organization. He was an editor and distributor of magazines that were published outside the reach of state censorship, namely: "Biuletyn Międzywydawniczy BMW" (1982-1985, including in 1984 translations from English published as: AZ, A. Zagrodzki and reviews signed: A.Z., A. Robin, M. Filip), "Vacat" (1982-84; including in 1987 translations signed A. Zagrodzki), and "Sprawy" (1982-84). In 1983, he co-founded the Wyzwolenie (Liberation) Political Movement together with its eponymous magazine, where he himself published in 1983/84 (including also as Andrzej Zawada and Antoni Zajonc). He was involved in organizing protection for Father Jerzy Popiełuszko. From 1985 to 1992, he was a member of the Board of the Polish Independence Party (Polska Partia Niepodległościowa – PPN), while in 1988 he participated in the Alliance of Independence Parties and Organizations (Porozumienie Partii i Organizacji Niepodległościowych – PPiON). He stood as a PPN candidate in the 1991 Sejm (parliamentary) elections. Between 1984 and 1990, he was head of the international section of the science-fiction monthly "Fantastyka" where he also published articles, reviews and translations (1983 and 1985-88; also as L.J.). With the relaunch of the periodical as "Nowa Fantastyka", he served as its editor-in-chief between 1990 and 1992, while also publishing column pieces and translations there until 2003 (including in 2011 the regular column Światło i dźwięk albo Moje życie na różnych planetach [Light and Sound, or: My life on various planets]). He won prizes including a publishers' award for translators of sci-fi literature in the field of translations of novels (1988) and the Śląkfa prize, awarded by the Silesian Fantasy Club (Śląski Klub Fantastyki) in the category of publisher of the year (1989). He joined the Polish Writers' Association (SPP). In 1991/92, he was involved in anti-Soviet meetings in Lithuania, Estonia and Georgia organized by the Autonomous Eastern Department of Fighting Solidarity. He stood unsuccessfully for election to the Polish Sejm (parliament) in 1993 as a candidate for the Koalicja dla Rzeczypospolitej (Coalition for the Republic) and again in 2001, this time as a candidate for Alternatywny Ruch Społeczny (Alternative Social Movement). In 1992, he was head of the journalism section of Polish Television (TVP). In 1992/93, he was deputy editor of the weekly "Spotkania". In 1997, he received the EUROCON Prize of the European Science Fiction Society in the translator category. Between 2000 and 2003, he taught English at the General S. Maczek Comprehensive Schools in Warsaw. In 2002, he stood in the Warsaw mayoral election as a candidate of the Nasz Samorząd (Our Council) electoral committee. He retired in 2003. He published articles, likewise on economics and politics, as well as translations in "Fronda" (2003-04, 2006-07, 2010-11, and 2019) and "Czas Fantastyki" (2006, 2008-09, and 2011-12). He was awarded the Prize of the Association of Polish Journalists in 2011. He again took up editing a series of sci-fi anthologies, this time titled Rakietowe szlaki (Rocket Trails) with the Solaris publishing house. He collaborated with Radio Wnet. In 2016, he was a member of the Jedność Narodu (National Unity) political grouping. He was given the honour of Meritorious Activist of Culture in 1999 and the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis in 2007. He died on 17 July 2023 in Warsaw. . He was married to Magdalena. They had a daughter, Katarzyna (b. 1964).