WYDMUCH Marek

Born on 18 January 1949 in Warsaw; son of the journalists Zdzisław Wydmuch and Bogusława, née Sieczko. He attended Grammar School No. XXVI in Warsaw. After completing advanced secondary education in 1967, he studied German philology at the University of Warsaw (UW). During his studies, he was a member of the Polish Students' Association (ZSP). He was awarded a master's degree in 1972 and took up a post as an assistant at the Department of Literature within the Institute of German Studies at UW. That year, he made his debut as a literary critic with a review of the German translation of Jerzy Putrament's crime novel Strachy w Biesalu (The Ghosts of Biesal; published in C. Eckert's German translation as Der Trauermantel – The Mourning Cloak). Wydmuch's review appeared in the monthly "Literatura na Świecie" (no. 2). The same year, he published his debut article, Amerykańskie strachy (American fears), on horror novels, with a focus on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, in the weekly "Literatura" (no. 38). He published his first translation, a Polish version of W. Heise's article Filozoficzne aspekty twórczości Heinego (Philosophical Aspects of Heine's Works) – in 1973 in the journal "Przegląd Humanistyczny" (no. 6). His reviews of mainly foreign-language literature (especially German-language works) appeared in periodicals including "Nowe Książki" (1974-83; likewise as M.W.), "Kobieta i Życie" (1977-87; likewise under the cryptonyms: (MW), M.W.), and in "Kultura" (1978-81; where he was also a member of the editorial board). He also published in the German-language press, including the Austrian periodical "Quarber Merkur" (1973-80). He was particularly interested in the works of Thomas Mann, Klaus Mann and Franz Kafka, as well as in fantasy, horror, crime novels and youth literature. As a literary critic, he collaborated with Polish Radio and Polish Television. He visited Italy and Austria on several occasions. Between 1978 and 1984, he worked at the Czytelnik Publishing Cooperative as an editor in the German-language Section and as a proofreader. In 1984/85, he was head of the Polish Literature Section and contributed introductions to books published there. He also collaborated with numerous prestigious publishing houses as an internal reviewer, including the Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, Wydawnictwo Literackie, Iskry, Nasza Księgarnia, and Wydawnictwo Poznańskie. He joined the Polish Writers' Union (ZLP) in 1978, remaining a member until its dissolution in 1983. He was married to the journalist Anna Brzozowska-Wydmuch. He died on 2 November 1987 in Warsaw and is buried at the city's Powązki Cemetery.