Lucjan Wolanowski (1920-2006)

Abstract

Lucjan Wilhelm Wolanowski (born Lucjan Kon on February 26, 1920, Warsaw, died February 20, 2006, Warsaw). Polish journalist, writer, traveler, translator, advisor to the World Health Organization Information Department. Wolanowski studied chemistry at the Grenoble Polytechnical Institute (France 1938-1939); the outbreak of World War II caught him during a vacation in his homeland. During the war he fought as a soldier of the Polish clandestine Home Army and acted as a literary contributor to the Polish underground press. After the war, he took a position with the Polish Press Agency. He was a commentator of conferences for journalists accredited with the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw. He worked as a journalist for the weekly magazine Przekrój (1945-1950), and later also for the illustrated weekly Świat (1951-1969), as well as for the magazines Dookoła Świata (1969-1976) and Magazyn Polski (1976-1984). Between 1962-1963 he was accredited to the headquarter of the UN Troops in New Guinea during the landing operation. In 1965 he was granted a scholarship from United States State Department. He became the only Eastern European member of an international team of reporters to cover the launch of the space vessel Gemini 5 (US, Florida, 1965). Between 1967 and 1968, Wolanowski acted as advisor to the World Health Organization Information Department in Geneva, then, in a similar capacity, he commenced work at the WHO branches in New Delhi, Bangkok and Manila. He wrote 25 books (translated into 7 languages). All his books are illustrated by pictures he shoots himself.