Jan Lechoń
| Jan Lechoń | |
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Jan Lechoń
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| Born | Leszek Józef Serafinowicz March 13, 1899 Warsaw, Congress Poland |
| Died | June 8, 1956 (aged 57) New York City, United States |
| Resting place | Forest Cemetery in Laski |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Language | Polish |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Literary movement | Skamander |
Leszek Józef Serafinowicz (pen name: Jan Lechoń; March 13, 1899 in Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian Empire – June 8, 1956 in New York City) was a Polish poet, literary and theater critic, diplomat, and co-founder of the Skamander literary movement and the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America.
Lechoń studied Polish language and literature at Warsaw University, by which point he had already authored two collections of poetry and a play. He was co-editor of Pro arte et studio magazine. It was he who thought of the name Skamander for that literary group; he also delivered the opening speech at the group's first meeting, on 6 December 1919. During the Polish-Soviet War (1919–21) he worked in the press office of Chief of State Józef Piłsudski.
Lechoń was a member of the Pikador (Picador) literary cabaret, a member of the Polish Writers' Union, and secretary-general of the PEN Club. In 1926-29 he edited the satirical magazine Cyrulik Warszawski (The Barber of Warsaw—the title was an homage to The Barber of Seville). In 1925 he received an award from the Polish Book Publishers' Association, and in 1935 an award from the Polish Academy of Literature.
In 1921 he attempted suicide and spent some time in a few hospitals or sanatories trying to overcome depression. A troubled homosexual affair influenced Lechon's decision to abandon Warsaw. From 1930 to 1939 Lechoń was cultural attaché at the Polish embassy in Paris. After the fall of France to Nazi Germany, he left for Brazil and later settled in New York City. There he co-edited many Polish newspapers and magazines and, in 1942, co-founded the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America.
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