On July 2, 1966, Jan Brzechwa, actually Jan Wiktor Lesman, a writer and poet known primarily for his works for children, died in Warsaw.

He was born on August 15, 1898, in Zhmerynka (in today’s Ukrainian Vinnytsia Oblast), to a Polonized Jewish family. His grandfather, Bernard Lesman, ran a book and publishing company in Warsaw. From childhood, J.W. Lesman identified himself as a Pole, and his declaration in this matter expressed during the exam in the gymnasium in Poland under Russian occupation resulted in lowering the highest grade in history.

Shortly after Poland regained independence, Lesman began studies at the Faculty of Law of the University of Warsaw, and, serving in the ranks of the Academic Legion, took part in the Polish-Bolshevik war. After graduating from university, he worked as an attorney and legal advisor, specializing in copyright law. His studies in this area, published in the specialized magazine “Palestra” had an innovative character. In the interwar period, J.W. Lesman, who had tried his hand as a poet and writer from his childhood, became a famous writer. At the urging of his cousin, the poet Bolesław Leśmian (1877-1937), he took the pseudonym Jan Brzechwa. His first collection for children was published in 1938.

During World War II, Jan Brzechwa was exceptionally lucky in those tragic circumstances. Although he was on the German list of Polish artists of Jewish origin, he managed to avoid being prisoned in the ghetto. For some time, he hid in the vicinity of Krakow and Warsaw. He luckily spent most of the occupation in Warsaw however his identity was an open secret. He took part in the Warsaw Uprising.

The timeless works by Brzechwa for children met with criticism from educators for many years, who did not like the fact that they did not have a moral. However, they were assessed differently by the kids and their parents, who became fascinated by original associations and the mastery of Brzechwa’s poetry or the alternative world, created in the Academy of Mr Kleks, written during World War II. Today, the work of Jan Brzechwa is a classic of Polish children’s literature.

Jan Brzechwa is buried at the Military Cemetery in Warsaw’s Powązki Cemetery.