Editing Sergiusz Piasecki (section)

== Biography ==

=== Early life ===
Sergiusz Piasecki was born on 1 April 1901 (or 1 June 1899) in [[Lyakhavichy|Lachowicze]], 130 km from [[Minsk]], then in [[Northwestern Krai]] of the [[Russian Empire]] (now [[Brest Province]], [[Belarus]]). The latter date was presented by Piasecki on several occasions, in order to mislead the authorities. He was an illegitimate son of an postmaster Michał Piasecki and servant Klaudia Kukałowicz.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Sergiusz Piasecki |url=http://www.ipsb.nina.gov.pl/a/biografia/sergiusz-piasecki-1901-1964-powiesciopisarz |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=www.ipsb.nina.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref> He was looked after by his stepmother Filomena Gruszewska, who bullied him physically and mentally.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} His family spoke exclusively in Russian at home and he didn't learn Polish language until his later imprisonment.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

His childhood was very difficult because children at school mocked his Polish roots, calling him "Lach".{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Piasecki hated the Russian school – as he later explained – and in the seventh grade, armed with a pistol attacked the teacher. Sentenced to jail, he escaped from prison, and thus his formal education ended.<ref name="niniwa2.cba">Andrzej Rafał Potocki, [http://www.niniwa2.cba.pl/piaseckisergiusz.htm "Stoczony do poziomu literata. Sergiusz Piasecki."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723032000/http://www.niniwa2.cba.pl/piaseckisergiusz.htm|date=2011-07-23}} ''Życie'' 14 April 2001. {{in lang|pl}}</ref>

After he run away from jain, he headed to [[Moscow]], where he experienced [[October Revolution]] and watched his close friends' deaths. It was then that his disgust with communist ideology started.

In 1919 he traveled to [[Minsk]], as a member of the Belarusian "[[White movement|White]]" organisation.<ref name=":0" /> He cooperated with Polish army that was entering Minsk at that time, getting himself wounded.<ref name=":0" />

From 7 April 1920 to 10 January 1921 he studied in army officers school Infantry Officer Cadet School in Warsaw.<ref name=":0" /> Later he took part in [[Polish–Soviet War]] of 1920.<ref name=":0" /> He was demobilised on 12 May 1921.<ref name=":0" /> Afterwards, he was asked to join Polish [[intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]], as his language skills (he spoke Russian and Belarusian fluently) were highly regarded.<ref>Alwida A. Bajor, [http://www.magwil.lt/archiwum/2004/mmmw7/lp-8.htm "Na tropach bohaterów powieści Józefa Mackiewicza. Nazywał się Sergiusz Piasecki."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609184423/http://www.magwil.lt/archiwum/2004/mmmw7/lp-8.htm|date=2009-06-09}} ''Magazyn Wileński. Pismo Polaków na Litwie.'' Since 1990. {{in lang|pl}}</ref>

=== Ambiguities ===
In the monograph about his life, work and legend,<ref>Krzysztof Polechoński, [http://merlin.pl/Zywot-czlowieka-uzbrojonego-Biografia-tworczosc-i-legenda-literacka-Sergiusza_Krzysztof/browse/product/1,235361.html  ''Żywot człowieka uzbrojonego. Biografia, twórczość i legenda literacka Sergiusza Piaseckiego.''] [[Polish Scientific Publishers PWN|PWN]], October 2000, {{nowrap|{{ISBN|83-01-13323-6}}}}</ref> researcher Krzysztof Polechoński noted that most available data about Piasecki's whereabouts often do not correspond to reality, not to mention the claims made by the writer himself. Perhaps the discrepancies came from his work as intelligence agent, but there is no way to confirm many of his personal stories. Piasecki's addresses in [[Vilnius]] are not available and neither are the registers of houses in which he lived. His personal documents in possession of Piasecki's son: such as the copy of a marriage certificate with Jadwiga Waszkiewicz or the birth certificate of his son Władysław Tomaszewicz are falsifications, as revealed by Polechoński himself after a search performed in Vilnius archives. It is not possible to say whether his evacuation card is authentic. There is no photo of him in the prisoners' photo archives of Łukiszki penitentiary. There is no proof of his residency amongst the Vilnius city dwellers. He might have stayed in a hotel.<ref name="pogon.lt" />
===Work for the Polish intelligence service===
In early 1920s, Piasecki organized a whole web of Polish agents, covering the area of [[Byelorussian SSR|Soviet Belarus]]. Piasecki was also a smuggler, in order to both earn the money to finance his activities but also to have a cover up for them. Foreign spies as a rule were all executed by the Soviets, while smugglers were only incarcerated for a few years. As he wrote – he smuggled [[cocaine]] to the USSR, taking furs back to Poland.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} 

During this period, he served 21 months in Novogrudok prison for his involvement in a clash between two smuggling gangs.<ref name=":0" /> This situation repeated again in 1926, Piasecki was again imprisoned and expelled from service.<ref name=":0" /> After his release from prison, he tried to interest French intelligence in his services and to leave for the [[French Foreign Legion|Foreign Legion]].<ref name=":0" /> After these plans failed, he took up robbery. He was arrested again and sentenced to death by a verdict of the Vilnius Field Court on January 9, 1930.<ref name=":0" /> His former supervisors from the intelligence have sought a reduced fine, and so instead of being executed, Piasecki ended up with 15 years imprisonment.<ref name=":0" /> His stay in the Lida prison was short. As a leader of a rebellion, he was moved to [[Rawicz]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} There, he incited another riot, and was moved to [[Koronowo]] and later to [[Wronki]]. Finally, Piasecki was transferred to the hardest prison in Poland, located in [[Łysa Góra]] near [[Kielce]]. As he was regarded a troublesome
prisoner, he was often kept in isolation ward, where he got sick with [[tuberculosis]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Writing in prison===

Piasecki became a writer by chance. Later, he confessed that many prisoners in Wronki would write, so he decided to emulate them. As his knowledge of standard Polish was poor, he would learn from a school book of Polish grammar. Some time in either 1935 or 1936, his prison prose came to the attention of a famous novelist and journalist, [[Melchior Wańkowicz]], who toured Polish prisons as a reporter. After reading a manuscript of ''{{lang|pl|Kochanek Wielkiej Niedzwiedzicy}}'', Wańkowicz encouraged Piasecki to continue his writing efforts and helped him to publish the book. The publication and resulting popularity of the book became the catalyst for getting Piasecki out of prison. The book was published while Piasecki was still in prison, and its copy was delivered to his cell. The book sold out within a month, it was the third most popular publication of interwar Poland.

Due to popularity of the book, Wańkowicz's efforts to release Piasecki were supported by other writers and lawyers. Finally, in 1937 president [[Ignacy Mościcki]] pardoned him. The day of his release was sensational, crowds of journalists were waiting at a gate, and Piasecki himself was shocked at technical novelties, such as radio, which had become common since 1926. In late 1937 and early 1938, Piasecki went to [[Otwock]] and [[Zakopane]], to recuperate. Among others, he met [[Witkacy]], who painted his portrait. Being a celebrity, he avoided meeting with numerous readers, neither did he like signing of books.
[[File:Portrait_of_Sergiusz_Piasecki_by_Witkacy_no1.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Sergiusz Piasecki by Witkacy]]

=== World War II activities ===
In the summer of 1939 Piasecki went to Wilno where he stayed during the [[invasion of Poland]] in World War II. In September 1939, he volunteered to the [[Border Defence Corps]], to fight the Soviets. During the occupation of Poland, he was offered a chance to move to [[France]], but refused and decided to stay in his occupied homeland. Even though he had never been a member of the [[Home Army]] (he said he worked for its executive branch No 2, which – like many of his stories – was never confirmed),<ref name="pogon.lt">Sławomir Andruszkiewicz, [http://www.pogon.lt/NCz_int/Literat18.html  Sergiusza Piaseckiego droga do „Wieży Babel.”] ''Nasz Czas''. {{in lang|pl}}</ref> he had cooperated with the Polish resistance, and in 1943 became an executioner, carrying out capital punishment sentences handed down by underground Polish courts. His wartime [[nom de guerre|noms de guerre]] were "Sucz", "Kira" and "Konrad". Later, he wrote two books about his war activities. These are ''{{lang|pl|Wieża Babel}}'' (''The Tower of Babel'') and ''{{lang|pl|Adam i Ewa}}'' (''Adam and Eve''). Among those who he was ordered to execute, was [[Józef Mackiewicz]], falsely accused of cooperating with the Germans. However, Piasecki refused to kill him, and later it was revealed that Mackiewicz's accusations had been made up by the Soviets.

=== Living in exile ===
After the war, Piasecki hid from [[Ministry of Public Security (Poland)|the secret police]] for a year inside Poland. In April 1946, he escaped to [[Italy]], where he spotted the Italian translation of his own ''{{lang|pl|Kochanek Wielkiej Niedzwiedzicy}}''. Soon, he got in touch with Polish writers living in exile, including [[Jerzy Giedroyc]]. In 1947, Piasecki moved to England, his name can be found on a resolution of Union of Polish Writers in Exile, which urged all concerned to stop publishing in the Communist-occupied country. He once publicly declared that he would gladly take any job that would result in erasing Communism.

Living abroad, Piasecki did not stop writing. In late 1940s he came to the conclusion that humor was the best weapon to fight the Communists. So, he wrote a satire ''The memoirs of a Red Army officer'', which presents a made-up diary of Mishka Zubov - an officer of the [[Red Army]], who, together with his unit enters Poland on 17 September 1939. Zubov claims in his "diary" that his only purpose is to kill all the bourgeoisie who possess watches and bicycles. Piasecki became fluent in English as an adult. Sergiusz Piasecki died in 1964 in [[London]] at the age of 65. On his tomb, located in [[Hastings Cemetery]], England, it is said that he was born on 1 June 1899.  
[[File:Sergiusz Piacecki grave.jpg|thumb|Sergiusz Piasecki's grave - Hastings Cemetery]]
[[File:Sergiusz_Piasecki_commemorative_plaque.jpg|thumb|Sergiusz Piasecki commemorative plaque]]