Feliks Konarski
| Feliks Konarski | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
9 January 1907 Kiev |
| Died | 12 September 1991 (aged 84) Chicago |
| Resting place | Niles |
| Pen name | Ref-Ren |
| Occupation | Poet, songwriter, cabaret performer |
| Language | Polish |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Ethnicity | Polish |
| Notable works | Red Poppies on Monte Cassino |
| Notable awards | Polonia Restituta |
| Spouse | Nina Oleńska |
Feliks Konarski (pseudonym: Ref-Ren) (9 January 1907 – 12 September 1991) was a Polish poet, songwriter, and cabaret performer.
Konarski was born in Kiev and attended a Polish school there. In 1921, he was able to get to Poland by foot. He passed his matura (final exams) in Warsaw. He began to study Polish at Warsaw University, but found his calling on stage. A deciding point was encountering Konrad Tom, who helped Konarski begin authoring poems and songs, as well as suggesting the "Ref-Ren" stage pseudonym. In addition to songs, Konarski also wrote satirical plays for theater groups. In 1931, he married the actress Nina Oleńska.
In 1934, Konarski moved to Lviv (Polish: Lwów) where he established a theatre group. He wrote many poems as well as words to what became numerous popular songs.
After Lwów was taken over by the Red Army, Konarski performed as part of a traveling orchestra in numerous cities in the Soviet Union. When Nazi Germany attacked, he was in Moscow. In 1941, he enlisted with the Polish Armed Forces in the East.
During World War II, he served with General Władysław Anders' Polish Second Corps in Italy. There, literally on the eve of the Poles' victorious storming of Monte Cassino, he wrote the unforgettable and moving anthem, Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino (The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino). At the time of the battle, the mountain terrain of Monte Cassino was covered with red poppy flowers at the peak of their bloom. Afterwards, the poppy flowers became a deeper red in color because they were nourished by the blood of Polish soldiers that died during the famous battle.
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