Zygmunt Narski
(family name Narloch)
Translated by Sabina Szymikowska
Zygmunt Narski was born on 4 July 1920 in Karsin in southern Kashubia. He finished primary school in Gdynia in 1934. He was a scout and in 1934 organised 3rd Joseph Conrad Marine Scout Team. During World War II Narski worked in the shipyard in Gdynia. He was the commander of the First Company of the Grey Ranks Marine Battalion in Gdynia.
In November 1942, Narski was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camp in Stutthof and then to Mauthausen. After the war he moved to Poznań and began to study economy at the University of Poznań. He was awarded the MA degree in economic and political studies in June 1947 and subsequently the degree of a Reader (doktor habilitowany, postgraduate degree). He worked as a journalist until 1950 writing articles on economy for Głos Wielkopolski, and then in 1950-1990 as an academic first at the Economy College in Poznań (Wyższa Szkoła Ekonomiczna w Poznaniu) and then at Mikołaj Kopernik University in Toruń. Although being retired, he still carries on with his academic work.
Narski made his debut with two Kashubian poems published in the Warsaw monthly Poezja in June 1971. His works were also printed in Litery, Pomerania and Norda. His collected Kashubian poems were published in 1974 under the title Moje pacierze. His poems were featured in the anthologies Modra struna (collective work edited by W. Kiedrowski; 1973), Domôcé słowo zwęczné. Antologia tekstów kaszubskich dla recytatorów (J. Treder ; 1994), Mësla dzecka. Antologiô kaszëbsczich wiérztów dlô dzôtków i młodzëznë (E. E. Pryczkowscy; 2001).
The greater part of Narski’s literary output are prose works written in Polish. He has published Tak mówili o Tobie. Reportaż literacki (1982), Pawle Apostole – prowadź. Opowieść religijna (1986), Zapiekła gorycz. Opowieść o morskim batalionie Szarych Szeregów (1993), Paleta poniżenia. Opowiadanie historyczne o losach pomorskiej ziemi (1998), Zaduma serca. Opowiadanie o losach ziemi kaszubskiej (1999), Pogrom najeźdźcy. Dramat wojenny (1999) and Po odroczone szczęście. Dramat współczesny (2000), and one philosophical dissertation Sens czy bezsens życia (1997).
Narski is the author of numerous academic works on economy, 66 of which have been published in books, among them Zarys analizy zjawisk pieniężnych w zdecentralizowanej gospodarce planowej (1950), Problem wyznaczania cen (1961), Wizja czasu. Synteza współczesności (1999), Ekonomia stosowana. Pomiar poziomu organizacji w przedsiębiorstwie (2003), Ekonomia pragmatyczna (2004).
He has been awarded a number of literary distinctions, among them the honourable mention from Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza in 1978 (National Publishing Agency) and a special prize in Jan Drzeżdżon Prose Competition in 1998.
He was honoured with the Cavalier’s Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland (Kawalerski Krzyż Odrodzenia Polski) in 1979, the Home Army Cross (Krzyż Armii Krajowej) in 1983 and the Gold Cross of Merit for the Polish Scouting Association (Złoty Krzyż Zasługi dla ZHP) in 1997.