Wednesday saw the marking of the 110th anniversary of the birth of one of Poland's best-loved satirists, lyricists and cabaret artists.

Marian Hemar, born in 1901 in Lwow (today Lviv, Ukraine), was part of a golden circle of Polish popular artists prior to the war.

A leading light in Warsaw's Quid Pro Quo cabaret, he cooperated with such legends as Hanka Ordonowna, Eugeniusz Bodo and Julian Tuwim, all of whom were to meet with dramatic fates.

During the war, Hemar fought alongside the Free Poles at Tobruk and other locations across the Middle East. He was subsequently employed as an entertainer for the troops, before being transferred to London.

Hemar continued to be prolific after the cataclysm, but he was obliged to continue his profession in Great Britain. Officially banned by the communist authorities owing to his loyalty to the ideals of the Polish government-in-exile, his recordings and verses had to be smuggled into his native country.

Born Jan Marian Hescheles into an assimilated Jewish family, Hemar's artistic success was mirrored by that of his first cousin, the writer Stanislaw Lem. Both writers remained devoted to Lwow, the city of their birth, throughout their lives

Hemar was ultimately laid to rest in Dorking, near London, in 1972. In recent years there has been talk of a reburial in Poland, following on from those of other noted exiles, such as former leaders Edward Raczynski and General Wladyslaw Sikorski.

However, opinions are divided. Dr Andrzej Suchcitz of London's Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum told Polish Radio that he had “mixed feelings” about such a concept, noting that the lion's share of Hemar's work had indeed been created in exile. (nh)


source: PAP