Feliks Konarski
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Feliks Konarski (pseudonym: Ref-Ren) (January 9, 1907 in Kiev — August 9, 1991 in Chicago) - was a Polish poet, songwriter, and cabaret performer.
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[edit] Early life
He went to a Polish school in Kiev until 1921, when he was able to get to Poland by foot. He passed his matura (final exams) in Warsaw. He began university studies, but found his calling on stage. A deciding point was encountering Konrad Tom, who helped Konarski begin authoring poems and songs, as well as suggested the stage pseudonym. In addition to songs, Konarski also wrote satirical plays for leading theater groups.
In 1934 he moved to Lviv (Polish: Lwów) where he established a theatre group. He wrote many poems as well as words to what became numerous popular songs.
After Lwów was taken over by the Red Army he performed in numerous cities in the Soviet Union. When Nazi Germany attacked, he was in Moscow. In 1941, he enlisted with the Polish Armed Forces in the East.
[edit] War service
During World War II, he served with General Władysław Anders' Polish Second Corps in Italy. There, on the eve of the Poles' victorious storming of Monte Cassino, he wrote the unforgettable and moving anthem, Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino text and music (The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino). This song, set to music by Alfred Schuetz on that night, became Konarski's most famous composition, served to maintain his compatriots' spirits in one of Poland's darkest hours, and after the war was banned in Poland under communist rule. The song became an unofficial anthem and many people stood at attention when it was played.
[edit] Exile
He was evacuated to Iran where he headed the Polish Soldier's Theater. He was with the Polish Second Corps until it was transported to Britain and demobilised. In the autumn of 1946, he went to London where he conducted the Ref-Ren Theater for a few years. In 1965, he settled in Chicago. He organized Polish cultural activities and had a radio show called Czerwone maki (Red Poppies) for over twenty years. He also continued to sing and perform on many stages in England, France, and U.S.A.
He added a fourth verse to his Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino song in 1969, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the battle. It is less known than the original version.
His dream was to see an independent Poland. He was to visit his homeland after the nation had undergone political and structural reforms, but died the day before he was to arrive.
[edit] References
- Monografia "Czerwonych maków" - hymnu IX LO w Szczecinie (in Polish) Retrieved on July 3, 2007.
- Konarski, Feliks (2004). Czerwone Maki na Monte Cassino. Wiersze i piosenki 1939-1945 (The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino. Poems and Songs 1939-1945). LTW, Lomianki. ISBN 8-388736-53-1. Note about the author on the book cover (translated from Polish)
