Wilhelm Przeczek

Wilhelm Przeczek (7 April 1936 in Karviná - 10 July 2006 in Třinec) was a Polish teacher, poet, writer, and activist from Zaolzie region of Cieszyn Silesia. He is considered one of the most important Polish writers of his generation from Zaolzie.

Przeczek was born to a coal miner's family. He studied at a teachers' seminary in Orlová and then at a college in Prague. He worked as a teacher in Polish schools in Zaolzie, e.g. in Jablunkov. Przeczek was later briefly a journalist for the Głos Ludu newspaper. He was also an activist within the PZKO (Polish Cultural and Educational Union) and member of many Polish literary organizations. Przeczek also translated Czech, Slovak and Sorbian poetry to Polish and Polish poetry into Czech.

During the Prague Spring of 1968, Przeczek supported the reformist wing of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. His stances led to ban of his works from 1969 to 1989 in Czechoslovakia. His books were therefore published mainly in Poland.

Works

Poetry

Prose

• Skrzyżowanie (1969) (together with Władysław Sikora)
• Břečťan a jiné strašidelné povídky (1992)
• Kazinkowe granie (1994)
• Bienále pivní pěny (1996)

References

• Málková, Iva; and Svatava Urbanová (2001). Literární slovník severní Moravy a Slezska (1945-2000). Olomouc: Votobia. ISBN 80-7198-515-5. 
• Profile of Wilhelm Przeczek in Zwrot 7/2007: 42-43.
• Sikora, Władysław (1993). Pisarze Zaolzia. Czeski Cieszyn: Wydawnictwo Olza przy Radzie Polaków. OCLC 233485106.