Borderlands Bibliography:
Z. Anthony Kruszewski in Wartime Europe and Postwar America
Author: Beata Halicka
Beata Halicka’s masterly narrated biography is the story of an extraordinary man and leading intellectual in the Polish-American community. Z. Anthony Kruszewski was first a Polish scout fighting in World War II against the Nazi occupiers, then a Prisoner of War/Displaced Person in Western Europe. He was stranded as a penniless immigrant in post-war America and eventually became a world-renowned academic.
Kruszewski’s almost incredible life stands out from his entire generation. His story is a microcosm of 20th-century history, covering various theatres and incorporating key events and individuals. Kruszewski walks a stage very few people have even stood on, both as an eye-witness at the centre of the Second World War, and later as vice-president of the Polish American Congress, and a professor and political scientist at world-class universities in the USA. Not only did he become a pioneer and a leading figure in Borderland Studies, but he is a borderlander in every sense of the word.
For more information see brill.com
Publisher: Brill | Schöningh
Publication date: 25 Oct 2021
ISBN: 978-3-657-79183-5
Book tour in the United States
You can find a print copy of the book in the ASU Library
"When he was little, his mother told him that he comes from a Polish intelligentsia family, and whatever he would do in life, he must know that he must contribute to the betterment of his community and his country. The ideals of a humanistic approach to life, respect for learning, and resiliency of spirit, passed to him by his mother, shaped him into the person he is today, and have been reflected in his actions since then. He first contributed to others at the age of 11, in 1939, by joining Gray Ranks (“Szare Szeregi,”) later by fighting in the Warsaw Uprising. His experiencing of WWII included losing his entire family, being a Nazi’s POW, a soldier in the Polish Army, a Displaced Person, and later a penniless immigrant in the post-war reality. Today, at the age of 93, following his leadership roles at the Polish American Congress, being a professor and political scientist at world-class universities in the USA and becoming a pioneer and a leading figure in Borderland Studies, he continues to be active and of service to others by giving lectures, talks, and through his generous charitable contributions which include funding scholarship programs for students.
Watch the recording of a conversation with the man in question - Prof. Zbigniew Anthony Kruszewski and Prof. Beata Halicka, author of his biography: “Borderlands Biography: Z. Anthony Kruszewski in Wartime Europe and Postwar America,” held yesterday, Dec. 8, 2021, at the KF in NY. We also highly recommend reading the biography of this extraordinary man and world-renowned academic, which is a story of not only a microcosm of 20the century history but also a source of great inspiration."
