Gurnitsky, Weslav

The son of Casimir Gurnitsky and Maria Volskaya. During the Second World War he studied at the conspiratorial gymnasium named after Nicholas Ray in Warsaw, and after the end of the war - in the Gymnasium named after Prince Jozef Poniatowski at Lovic and the State Secondary Aviation and Mechanical School in Warsaw (1946-1949). After receiving the diploma of a technician-pilot, a year later he was enrolled as a student at the Aviation Department of the School of Engineering named after Hippolytus Wawelberg and Stanislav Rothwand. Then he worked in the editorial offices of the editions: “Winged Poland” (1949-1953), “Soldier of Freedom” (1953-1956), “Flag of the Young” (1955-1957), “Peace” (1956-1961).

He was a war correspondent in the Middle East (1956) and Indonesia (1959-1960). From 1958 to 1961, a commentator on Polish newsreels. Since 1961, he was in the United States , where he studied journalism at Indiana University, and was (in 1967) a PAP correspondent at the UN . After returning to Poland, he worked in the central office of PAP, and from 1968 to 1974 in the foreign department of the newspaper Life of Warsaw. From 1969 to 1980 he conducted the radio program “Periscope”. In the 1970s, in addition, he collaborated with magazines: Modernity, Around the World, Culture and Dialogue. From 1974 to 1981, he was a member of the editorial board of the weekly newspaper Pshekruy . In 1980, he was a member of the Presidium of the World Peace Council .

Since October 1981, he has been an employee of the state administration and is considered one of the leading propagandists of the then ruling government (he used the pseudonym Pavel Shuravsky for publications). On the night that martial law was introduced in Poland , he was called up for military service (since 1981 with the rank of captain , from 1982 as a major , from 1986 as a lieutenant colonel ). A close associate of General Wojciech Jaruzelski (in particular, the author of most of his speeches, including speeches from December 13, 1981). From December 1981 to February 1, 1982 he was an employee of the Government Press Service, from February to September 15, 1982 he was an employee of the Cabinet of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, then the head of the Research Group under the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (until January 1, 1984). From 1984 to 1985, Director of the Independent Research Group and Chairman of the Defense Committee under the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. From 1985 to August 1, 1989, Director of the Independent Research Group under the Chairman of the State Council and Chairman of the Country Defense Committee. In the period 1986-1989. - on the editorial board of the Reader Publishing Group. From August 1989 to December 31, 1990, Director of the Department of Political Chancellery of the President of the Polish People’s Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Since 1991. retired. In the 1990s. collaborated with the magazines Today (essays under the pseudonym Civis) and NIE.

Awards and Prizes: Prize to them. Juliana Bruna (1957), Prizes of the Polish Club of Publicists of the International Association of Polish Journalists (1961 - for the book: Where Peppers Grow ; 1980 - for reports from Afghanistan and Kampuchea ), laureate of the 1st prize of the Chairperson of the Press Cooperative Publishing House (later known as RSW "Press-Book-Movement", 1967 and 1979; for life achievements in the field of journalism), the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland (1975), Prize im. Boleslaw Prus (1980; for his life achievements in the field of journalism), Officer Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland (1983), silver medal "For Merit for the Defense Ability of the Country" (1984), prize of the weekly literary life (1984), silver Badge "For Merit" in the development of Civil Defense ”(1987), Commander’s Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland (1989), gold medal“ For Merit for the Country’s Defense ”(1990).

Member of the Union of Fighting Young (1947–1948), Union of Polish Youth (1948–1956), Professional Association of Polish Journalists and the Association of Polish Journalists (1949–1981, in particular, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Warsaw Branch 1956–1957, Secretary of the Polish Club of International Publicists 1958 —1960), the Polish United Workers' Party (1953-1990), the Union of Polish Writers (1974-1981).

Based on the book by Gurnitsky, the script for the film “The Curse of the Valley of the Snakes ” was written.

He was buried in the Military Cemetery on Ponzki .

• Trzy skandale. Dziennikarska opowieść o kilku tajemnicach Drugiej Rzeczpospolitej (Czytelnik 1956 )
• Październik czterdziesty pierwszy (autor scenariusza i tekstów; album poświęcony ZSRR ; Iskry 1959 )
• Warszawa nie odpowiada (pod pseud. "Fryderyk Wierzbiński"; szkic historyczny; Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej 1960 )
• Tam, gdzie pieprz rośnie. Reportaż z trzech tysięcy wysp (Książka i Wiedza 1961 ; wydanie 2 poprawione: 1961 )
• Giaur wśród Jankesów (reportaże; Książka i Wiedza 1963 )
• Podróż po garść ryżu (reportaże; Iskry 1964 ; seria: “Świat się zmienia”)
• Tu i teraz. Szkice publicystyczne (Czytelnik 1970 )
• Opowieści zdyszane (reportaże; Iskry 1971 )
• Raport z Hamburga (reportaże; Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy 1971 )
• Indiański pióropusz (pod pseud. "Fryderyk Wierzbiński"; książka dla młodzieży; Biuro Wydawnicze "Ruch" 1972 )
• Wybrane problemy obiegu informacji w strukturze władzy USA (Centrum Informacji Naukowej, Technicznej i Ekonomicznej - Ośrodek Informacji Centralnej 1973 )
• Wielki świat. Ze wspomnień snoba-katorżnika (wspomnienia; Czytelnik 1976 )
• Zanim zaczną rządzić maszyny (reportaże; Czytelnik 1976 )
• Od fiordu do atolu (reportaże; Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza 1977 , seria Szczęśliwa Siódemka )
• Ballada hotelowa (opowieść; Wydawnictwo Literackie 1979 , ISBN 83-08000-31-2 )
• O Narodach Zjednoczonych bez tajemnic (książka dla młodzieży; Młodzieżowa Agencja Wydawnicza 1979 , ISBN 83-20301-96-3 , seria: "Biblioteka Harcerskiej Służby Polsce Socjalistyczn- 3-3 , 1987 ";
• Sceny przydrożne (Reporting; 1979 )
• Vietnam - Kampuchea 1979. An eye-witness report (World Peace Council, Helsinki 1979 ; book has been translated into German, Spanish and French)
• Bambusowa klepsydra (reportaż z Kambodży); Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy 1980 , ISBN 83-06003-10-1 ), in Russian translation - “Hourglass” (1983)
• Czas nietoperza (pod pseud. “Robert F. Stratton”; powieść sensacyjna; Czytelnik 1981 , 1988 ), in Russian translation: Robert Stratton, “Bat-Hour” (1989).
• Rzeczy minione (publicystyka; Wydawnictwo Literackie 1983 , ISBN 83-08009-37-9 )
• Czarne złoto (pod pseud. "Robert F. Stratton"; powieść sensacyjna; "Tygodnik Ostrołęcki" nr 49-53 / 1984, 2-52 / 1985, 1/1986)
• Teraz już można. Ze wspomnień kulawego Szerpy (wspomnienia; Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie 1994 , ISBN 83-70233-25-2 )