Censorship of Polish People’s Republic towards the topic of the Warsaw Uprising in Polish literature. The example of Szpital powstańczy by Bronisława Magdalena Ochman

Abstract

The publication of a literary work which raised the subject of the Warsaw Uprising was in the post-war years virtually impossible. The authors who survived the war could not publish their novels, short stories or memoirs; even studies on literary texts collected during the war could be dangerous. In the case of Szpital powstańczy the situation was similar.

Its author, Bronisława Magdalena Ochman, took part in the Warsaw Uprising as a paramedic. She participated in the acts of war that proved to be tragic for Warsaw. At the same time, she regularly made notes. In spite of the uprising’s downfall and her stay in a German labour camp, Ochman managed to save her notes.

Unfortunately, after the end of the Second World War and her return to Poland, the author could not even think about their publication. The attitude of censorship towards issues associated with the uprising was ambiguous. As in the German camp, Ochman had to hide her notes.

The situation slightly changed in the second half of the 1950s. In 1956, for the first time, celebrations of the anniversary of the outbreak of the uprising were organized. Moreover, the liberalization of censorship towards the issues referred to the uprising was introduced.

Finally, Ochman could think about the publication of her work; therefore, in 1959, she prepared her notes and sent them for a literary competition organized by a monthly magazine “Pielęgniarka i Położna”. The author won the first prize. However, the works awarded in the competition were not published in a collective volume; the authors had to be patient. Excerpts from Ochman’s memoirs appeared in print only in “Pielęgniarka i Położna”. Apparently, the author of Szpital powstańczy had no intention of waiting and in 1961 she set her work in the editor’s office of “Słowo Powszechne”. The work was supposed to be published in installments in the journal. Unfortunately, the efforts were not successful.

In 1961, “Pielęgniarka i Położna” organized another literary competition for nurses’ memoirs. Once again Ochman proved to be the best; she was awarded the second prize (the first was not given) for her work Zeithein.

The “odyssey” of Szpital powstańczy ended in 1962 when – along with Zeithein – it was published in a post-competition volume.

The activity of censorship in the 1950s significantly influenced the editorial history of the work.