Man of the East: 1987"I am a man of the east" - wrote Jerzy Giedroyc (1906-2000) in 1966 - above in a much later photo - to Juliusz Mieroszewski. Giedroyc, an iconic Polish émigré writer, publicist and political activist, was born in Minsk, into a Polish-Lithuanian noble family, with the title of
kniaź (prince). Despite being an exile from
Kresy, he was one of the first Polish elite members who called for reconciliation with Ukrainians and Lithuanians, and claimed that the former have full right to Lwów and the latter to Wilno. Of course, back then, for Poles in exile, any call for acquiescence in the loss of these two places, so holy to Polish collective memory, was tantamount to blasphemy, and a lot of ferocious criticism was hurled ruthlessly at Giedroyc.
He was umoved. Now, almost a quarter of a century after his death, we can properly judge his wisdom. The Prince of Maisons-Laffitte, as he was nicknamed, realised that the better relations and more influence Poland will have in the East, the more important she will be to the West.
It is also worth reminding, especially to the more hate-oriented audience, that Jerzy Giedroyc was never anti-Russian; indeed he was constantly seeking contact and co-operation with the Russian émigré community, and the Literary Institute - founded by Giedroyc - published many books by Russian authors. The "prince" had written in his autobiography: "I was always fascinated by Russian literature. I read almost as much in Russian as I did in Polish, which means quite a lot". He also wrote: "Our leading objective should be the normalisation of Polish-Russian and Polish-German relationships, while at the same time defending the independence of the Ukraine, Byelorussia and the Baltic states, and working with them in close cooperation".
I can think of very few Polish public figures who would see everything through the lens of Poland's best interests but, at the same time, hold the East in such a great affection as Jerzy Giedroyc. Let us remember, therefore, and repeat again after him:
Poland's position in the West is dependent on our significance to the East. We cannot be turned into vassals of either Washington, Brussels or Moscow. Poland must conduct her own independent policies to properly play the role appointed to her by God and history.