465:, was planned but remained unpublished when, in the winter of 1937–38 they moved to Paris: "I just knew I had to be in Paris." Themerson said. Here they found a circle of artists and writers, many Polish, among whom to live and move. Themerson wrote for various Polish publications in Paris; Franciszka started to paint, and illustrated children's books for Flammarion. They planned to stay there, but – as for most of their generation – the outbreak of World War II changed their lives. With the declaration of war in 1939, the Themersons both enlisted, Stefan joined the
146:
36:
784:, 'On Stefan Themerson' in Comparative Criticism, Volume 12: Representations of Self, 1990, pp 223ff. This edition includes first publication of Themerson's autobiographical fragments 'On Fathers, Wet Nurses and Wars' (dictated to Wadley July–August 1988), and a first bibliography of Themerson's written oeuvre, compiled by Wadley.
298:. In 1918 they returned to Płock, in an independent Poland, where Stefan attended the Władysław Jagiełło Gymnasium. During this time he first showed an interest in photography and also built a radio receiver. Stefan's older brother, Roman, also qualified as a doctor, but died of spinal tuberculosis in 1929.
552:, and then was sent to join the film unit of the Polish Ministry of Information and Documentation in London. There he and Franciszka, commissioned by the Polish Ministry of Information and Documentation, made two further short films,
341:
During these years the
Themersons lived and worked in Warsaw. Stefan contributed articles to various periodicals and prose and verse to school textbooks and wrote at least ten books for children which Franciszka illustrated.
461:, Stefan as editor, Franciszka as artistic editor (the journal of the film-makers' co-operative). Two issues were published, one on the French avant-garde, one on recent English film. A third issue, on the Polish
497:. There, in June, the regiment was disbanded, the officers abandoning their men and the men dispersing where they could. Themerson travelled inside France, first returning (on foot) to occupied Paris, then on to
723:, at Themerson's invitation. They maintain the press's archive as well. It was through this Dutch connection that some of his novels gained recognition in the English-reading world; in 1985, Dutch publisher
493:
In 1940 Themerson volunteered for a Polish infantry regiment in France, just in time for the German invasion and the Allies' collapse. His memory was of marching day and night in the summer heat to
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were remade by Bruce
Checefsky from descriptions of them when they first appeared, stills and storyboards. In 1983 Stefan, now living in London, made a reconstruction of the film with the
865:
Dempsey, Anna; Matteson, Benjamin; Karimi, Pamela (2011). "Reactivating the "Lost" Treasures of the
European Avant-garde: A Conversation with Artist and Filmmaker Bruce Checefsky".
329:. His first published piece of writing was also in 1928. He never formally left his studies but gradually withdrew to follow his other interests. Themerson met the art student
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His father, Mieczysław
Themerson, was a physician, social reformer and aspiring writer (some of his work was published). His mother was Ludwika Smulewicz. During the
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and other experimental artists and arranged first screenings of French and
English avant-garde films on their return to Warsaw. They also founded a review
517:. Meanwhile, he spent time in refugee camps, worked as a farm labourer, and spent nearly two years in a Polish Red Cross hostel, the Hôtel de la Poste in
422:. An incomplete copy of the original film was found in an archive in Berlin in 2019. Following restitution to the Themerson Estate, it was donated to the
790:
Jan
Kubasiewicz and Monica Strauss (ed), 'The Themersons and the Gaberbocchus Press' , exhibition catalogue, MJS Books, N.Y.(October 1993 – January 1994)
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in the
Netherlands, under the title "The Chair of Decency". He died in London a few weeks after the death of his wife, in September 1988.
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533:). Much of their sporadic correspondence from the years 1940–1942 concerned attempts to engineer Stefan's escape from France.
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Ilona
Halberstadt (ed), Close-Up: The Art of Franciszka & Stefan Themerson , PIX no.1 (1993/4, Winter) pp. 67–122.
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Stefan
Themerson, 'Critics & My Talking Dog: Selected Stories, Essays, Lectures & a Play', (Black Scat Books, 2019)
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The
Themersons' eight volume archive has been assembled and catalogued by Franciszka's niece, the British arts curator,
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Stefan Themerson, 'The Urge to Create Visions', (Gaberbocchus + De Harmonie, Amsterdam, 1983)
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in Paris and Normandy and had subsequently escaped to London on a troopship from
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Stefan and Franciszka Themerson published many of their works through their own
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In 1935, with other young filmmakers, the Themersons founded a cooperative,
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as a cartographer, first in France then from 1940 in London after the
247:, they are regarded as leading husband-and-wife exponents of European
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Themerson in his studio in London, in front of a painting by his wife
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the Gaberbocchus Press, novelist, filmmaker, composer and philosopher
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published a translation of an English manuscript, which they titled
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takes place annually in Themerson's native city, Płock in Poland.
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In 1979, the Gaberbocchus Press was taken over by Dutch publisher
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invasions and partition of Poland. Franciszka was seconded to the
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902:"Rediscovered 1931 film Europa to get world premiere in London"
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Unposted Letters, 1940–1942, Franciszka & Stefan Themerson
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circle, whom they visited in 1950, Stefan was the inventor of
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224:(25 January 1910 – 6 September 1988) was a Polish writer of
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Review of "Tom Harris" by Seamus Sweeney at nthposition.com
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is still in print in Poland. Stefan also experimented with
1202:
735:, which in turn published the book in English, now called
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Jasia Reichardt and Renata Jaskulska (7 November 2016).
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Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Litteraria Polonica
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meeting to celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of
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Towards the end of 1942 Themerson got across France via
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and the two of them made five short experimental films
243:. He wrote in at least three languages. With his wife,
410:, illustrated by surviving stills from the film and
921:"Nazi-looted film donated to BFI after restitution"
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60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
703:' (1972). In 1981, Themerson delivered the annual
633:. Their list of some 70 titles included works by
282:Dr. Themerson served as a medical officer in the
807:, Gaberbocchus & De Harmonie, Amsterdam 2013
259:Stefan Themerson was born on 25 January 1910 in
610:with whom the Themersons kept close relations.
965:"Stefan Themerson OuLiPo and Semantic Poetry"
919:Geraldine Kendall Adams (14 September 2021).
671:. The latter wrote an encouraging preface to
8:
525:in Polish and wrote the long poem in French
1107:interview with Richard, Klimowski and Sady.
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133:
1269:Polish military personnel of World War II
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747:(1988). These two novels and the earlier
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
1021:"An outstanding novelist and publisher:
445:In 1936 and 1937 the Themersons visited
317:, but spent most of his time working on
1127:Stefan and Franciszka Themerson archive
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602:. Also in 1944 the Themersons moved to
404:was later published by the Themersons'
1274:Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom
1264:Warsaw University of Technology alumni
963:Wiśniewski, Tomasz (29 January 2016).
544:whence he was flown to Britain by the
309:. After a year, he transferred to the
1101:[When thought trounces age].
7:
58:adding citations to reliable sources
1019:Henshall, John (18 February 1989).
942:. London: Atlas Press. p. 14.
800:; 12 (2006 November), p. 35–36
645:, the first English translation of
449:, then the centre of the world for
426:for conservation and preservation.
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1103:Dziennik Płocki (The Płock Daily)
900:Brown, Mark (14 September 2021).
1082:Archiwum Themersonów in Katowice
796:, 'Gaberbocchus Publishers', in
675:. Influenced by Queneau and his
390:The Adventures of a Good Citizen
286:'s army and the family lived in
34:
1197:Stefan and Franciszka Themerson
1099:"Kiedy Myśl jest ponad Wiekiem"
45:needs additional citations for
1249:Polish experimental filmmakers
435:Spółdzielnia Autorów Filmowych
1:
691:). His work was published in
394:Przygoda Człowieka Poczciwego
386:Przygoda Człowieka Poczciwego
1123:of works by Stefan Themerson
816:, (Gaberbocchus Press, 1972)
501:, where, through the Polish
469:forming in France after the
27:Polish filmmaker (1910–2000)
1259:University of Warsaw alumni
1209:PDFs of shorter works by ST
741:(1986), and his last novel
665:The Good Citizen's Alphabet
263:, in what was then part of
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1188:on films by the Themersons
1137:Dalkey Archive Press pages
1132:Gaberbocchus Press website
1062:The Quarterly Conversation
1056:The Mystery of the Sardine
751:were later republished by
738:The Mystery of the Sardine
617:(the Latinised version of
507:Polish Government in Exile
489:Second World War and after
479:Polish government-in-exile
301:In 1928 Themerson went to
1289:Polish writers in English
1150:Description of remake of
560:atrocities in Poland and
527:Croquis dans les Ténèbres
453:art, and London, meeting
420:London Film-Makers' Co-op
348:Mr Rouse Builds His House
143:
1244:20th-century Polish Jews
1143:Reading Stefan Themerson
1005:10.18778/1505-9057.38.03
986:Hejmej, Andrzej (2016).
673:Professor Mmaa’s Lecture
523:Professor Mmaa's Lecture
521:. Here he began writing
239:filmmaker, composer and
1284:Film people from London
938:Mathews, Harry (1998).
467:Polish Army in the West
228:, poet and inventor of
803:Jasia Reichardt (ed),
568:songs set to music by
424:British Film Institute
687:, and his 1975 tract
635:Guillaume Apollinaire
400:, based on a poem by
275:on 6 September 1988.
226:children's literature
1213:Obscure Publications
1058:by Stefan Themerson"
1025:by Stefan Themerson"
879:10.1162/thld_a_00157
827:Franciszka Themerson
753:Dalkey Archive Press
683:(see his 1945 novel
531:Sketches in Darkness
245:Franciszka Themerson
214:Franciszka Themerson
54:improve this article
1279:Writers from London
1254:Polish male writers
925:Museums Association
564:, inspired by four
562:The Eye and the Ear
1239:Writers from Płock
1215:can be found here.
1172:Drobiazg melodyjny
1145:by Nicholas Wadley
810:Stefan Themerson,
764:Themerson Festival
689:On Semantic Poetry
661:Exercises in Style
615:Gaberbocchus Press
416:Drobiazg melodyjny
407:Gaberbocchus Press
370:Drobiazg Melodyjny
344:Pan Tom Buduje Dom
331:Franciszka Weinles
311:Warsaw Polytechnic
69:"Stefan Themerson"
729:Euclid Was an Ass
629:, and the artist
572:. In 1944 at the
554:Calling Mr. Smith
303:Warsaw University
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16:(Redirected from
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760:Jasia Reichardt
744:Hobson's Island
733:Faber and Faber
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681:Semantic Poetry
657:Raymond Queneau
643:Kurt Schwitters
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1105:(in Polish).
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583:Areopagitica
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566:Julian Tuwim
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52:Please help
47:verification
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798:Parenthesis
721:De Harmonie
697:St. Francis
619:Jabberwocky
608:Bob Cobbing
578:John Milton
570:Szymanowski
463:Avant-garde
455:Moholy-Nagy
451:avant-garde
327:film-making
319:photography
313:to take up
267:within the
241:philosopher
110:August 2010
1223:Categories
1170:remake of
1158:remake of
867:Thresholds
838:References
749:Tom Harris
604:Maida Vale
495:St-Nazaire
376:) (1933),
362:) (1930),
352:photograms
255:Early life
249:Surrealism
187:1988-09-07
166:1910-01-25
152:Franciszka
80:newspapers
1182:interview
873:: 24–38.
538:Marseille
503:Red Cross
305:to study
1067:25 March
1037:25 March
887:57561574
821:See also
813:Factor T
699:and the
574:PEN club
499:Toulouse
230:Semantic
971:11 June
685:Bayamus
652:Ubu Roi
515:Bayonne
378:Zwarcie
323:collage
307:physics
185: (
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677:Oulipo
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