Brusselian from Lvov – Draft for the Portrait of Leopold Unger

Aleksandra Napora

Pełny tekst artykułu English version of the article

This article demonstrates the significance of Leopold Unger (1922–2011) as a journalist, commentator, columnist and essayist, whose professional activity was rooted in the history of Eastern Europe and the experience of Jews and dissidents subject to Soviet totalitarianism. Beginning with an overview of his life, the author presents the development of Unger’s career from two perspectives. The first is connected with the cities where Unger was active: from his early start in Bucharest, moving later to Warsaw and finally, as a political émigré, in Brussels. The second one focuses on the periodicals in which he worked: “Życie Warszawy”, the Belgian “Le Soir”, the Parisian “Kultura”, “International Herald Tribune” and “Gazeta Wyborcza”. Particular attention is given to the concept of Unger as an intruder (describing the specific relations between Unger and PRL [People’s Republic of Poland] after 1968, but also, in a more general sense, as a journalist investigating uneasy subjects) and a “Brusselian” (author of political essays published in Jerzy Giedroyc’s “Kultura”, considered nearly as important as the journalistic contribution of Juliusz Mieroszewski). The initial conclusions regarding Unger’s output also include remarks on his style and journalistic strategies.

KEYWORDS

Leopold Unger, publicist, journalist, essay, Parisian “Kultura”, emigration culture