Michnik, Adam

Born into a Jewish family, the son of a communist (activist of the Communist Party of Western Ukraine ), and subsequently oppositionist Hosea Shekhter and historian Helena Michnik. From an early age, an active participant in the scout movement.

In 1961 - 1962 he was a member of the well-known discussion Club of the Crooked Wheel (the name comes from Krzywe Koło Street in Warsaw's Old Town ), through which many representatives of the future political opposition went through, in 1962 founded his own informal Club of Seekers contradictions. In 1964, he entered the Faculty of History at the University of Warsaw, was repeatedly penalized, in 1968, during the acute political crisis, he was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison, released under an amnesty in 1969 (student protests against the exclusion of Michnik from Warsaw University gave rise to the March unrest of 1968 , which were suppressed by the authorities, which turned into a campaign of state anti-Semitism , which entailed the mass emigration of Jews from the country).

He began to publish as a journalist (under pseudonyms). He received a “ wolf ticket ” and could not continue his studies, but in 1975 he graduated from the Faculty of History at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan as an external student. He was considered the personal secretary of the famous poet Anthony Slonim .

In 1976 - 1977 he lived in Paris . Returning, he joined the Committee for the Protection of Workers just created by the opposition, he was one of the organizers of the underground university of the humanities and social sciences called the Society of Scientific Courses (“ Mobile University ” - a long tradition of Polish oppositionists from the beginning of the 1880s), was the editor of several opposition print media - “Newsletter”, “Criticism”, one of the leaders of the underground publishing house.

In 1980 - 1989 - Advisor to the Mazovian branch of the Solidarity movement. He was interned after martial law was introduced in December 1981 and was imprisoned until 1984 , in 1985 he was arrested again, sentenced to three years in prison, and released the following year under an amnesty .

Back in prison, I promised myself two things: firstly, never join any veteran organization, where they will give orders for the fight against communism, and secondly, never revenge anyone.

- Vaclav Havel, Adam Michnik. The trampled era of post-communism

Since 1988, he was a member of the informal coordination committee led by Lech Walesa , a member of the Citizens Committee, in 1989 he was a member of a series of interviews between the government and the opposition (the Round Table) on holding free elections, and in 1989-1991 he was a deputy of the newly elected Sejm . In 1989, he created the daily Vyborcha newspaper, became the editor-in-chief of this popular and authoritative publication, in which he opposed Walesa, and supported the shock therapy program of Leszek Balcerowicz .

In September 1989, Michnik delivered a speech in support of Ukraine at the constituent assembly of the Ukrainian party Rukh .

In 2002, Michnik published revelatory materials about corruption in the highest authorities of Poland, which provoked a major political scandal (“Ryvin case”).

In the 2000s, it was published abroad ( Spiegel , Mond , Washington Post ), and lectured at Princeton University. He actively supported the Orange Revolution in Ukraine . Since 2004, due to illness, he left the direct leadership of the Vyborcha Gazeta newspaper; on May 8, 2007 , according to press reports, he intended to resign as chief editor ^[2] .

Member of the Union of Polish Writers, Council on Foreign Relations ( USA ). Honorary Doctor of the University of Minnesota and Michigan , New School of Social Research in New York , Honorary Professor of the Kiev- Mohyla Academy. Laureate of the Freedom Prize of the French PEN Club ( 1988 ), Prize of the Union of European Journalists ( 1995 ), Erasmus International Prize ( Netherlands , 2001 ), Cavalier of the French Order of the Legion of Honor , officer of the Hungarian Order of Merit , commander of the Order of Merit for the FRG , Chilean Order of Bernardo O`Higgins and many other awards in different countries. According to the list of the British newspaper Financial Times (May 2006 ), one of the 20 most influential journalists in the world.

On November 12, 2012, Adam Michnik (and Thomas Wentslove ) was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of Klaipeda University . ^{[3] [4]}

Adam Mikhnik's uterine brother, Stefan Mikhnik, in his youth, was a staunch Communist Stalinist, a secret informant of state security and army intelligence. In the early 1950s, Stefan Michnik worked as a military judge in Warsaw. He actively participated in political repressions, sentenced death sentences to anti-communist rebels. The relationship with Stefan creates serious political difficulties for Adam.

• Kościół, lewica, dialog ( 1977 )
• Szanse polskiej demokracji ( 1984 )
• Z dziejów honoru w Polsce ( 1985 )
• Takie czasy ... Rzecz o kompromisie ( 1985 )
• Polskie pytania ( 1987 )
• Między Panem a Plebanem ( 1995 )
• Diabeł naszego czasu ( 1995 )
• Wyznania nawróconego dysydenta ( 2003 )
• Wściekłość i wstyd ( 2005 )

• Polish Dialogue: Church - Left - London: OPI, 1980. - 252 p.
• Anti-Soviet Russophile. / Per. Nikolay Yartsev, Andrey Yermonsky. - Moscow; Wroclaw: Publishing House "Summer Garden"; Collegium of Eastern Europe, 2011.

• Skórzyński J. Od Solidarności do wolności. Warszawa: Trio, 2005

• Interview 2001
• Conversation of V. Havel and A. Mikhnik (Russian)
• Article by A.Mikhnik “Hams and Angels” (Russian)
• Russia, Poland, Europe. Lecture A.Mikhnika on Polit. RU
• A.Mikhnik's Speech at the Third Khodorkovsky Readings - Conference Transcript
• A.Mikhnik's speech at the roundtable of the Liberal Mission Foundation on March 4, 2009 - transcript of the roundtable “Intellectuals and Democracy” (inaccessible link)
• A.Mikhnik's speech at the round table of the Liberal Mission Foundation on March 4, 2009 - transcript of the round table Solidarity as a Value
• Adam Michnik “Nationalism: The Monster Awakens” (1990)
• Michael Dorfman Polish “I” by Adam Michnik - Review of the collection of articles by A. Michnik