Zdzisław Najder

Zdzisław Najder (Polish pronunciation: [ˈʑd͡ʑiswaf ˈnajdɛr]; born in Warsaw, Poland, 31 October 1930) is a Polish literary historian, critic, and political activist.

He is primarily known for his studies on Joseph Conrad, for his periods of service as political adviser to Lech Wałęsa and Jan Olszewski, and for having served as chief of the Polish-language section of Radio Free Europe.

Educated in Poland and England, Najder had worked as a professor in Poland and abroad before his exile from Poland in 1981. During most of that exile, he worked for Radio Free Europe. Sentenced to death in absentia in his native land, he did not return to Poland until the overthrow of its communist regime, whereupon he became an active political adviser.

Najder's 1983 biography of Conrad, substantially revised in 2007, is regarded as an important work in Conrad scholarship.

Born in Warsaw on 31 October 1930, Najder studied at Warsaw University (1949–1954) and at St Antony's College, Oxford (1959–1969), earning doctoral degrees in philosophy and Polish literature. He added a second doctoral degree in Polish literature in Poland in 1978.

Najder taught at Warsaw University as a professor of literature, co-edited the Polish monthly literary journal Twórczość, and was a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences' Institute for Literary Studies.

When martial law was declared in Poland on 13 December 1981, Najder was a visiting scholar at Oxford University. Choosing not to return to his native land, he took a position in Germany with Radio Free Europe (RFE), becoming chief of its Polish-language section in April 1982. In response, the Polish government under the leadership of Wojciech Jaruzelski condemned him to death in absentia, accusing Najder of spying for United States intelligence services. Two years later, he was stripped of his Polish citizenship.

...
Wikipedia