Jeremi Przybora was born during World War I, on December 12, 1915, in Warsaw. His father, Stefan, was a chemical engineer and the owner of a sweets factory, and his mother Jadwiga was a housewife. His parents divorced when the boy was only two years old. Jeremi spent the next seven years of his life with his mother, but in 1924, with her consent, he moved to his father and stepmother in Miedzyń Wielki, where the man bought a lot of land. Stefan’s new partner adored his son, and their contacts were good. It was she who pushed Jeremi towards perfecting his vocal art.
Przybora’s stepmother was afraid for his future. She said, “You have a nice voice”
Jeremi Przybora attended school in Bydgoszcz, and then graduated from the Evangelical Junior High School. Mikołaja Rej in Warsaw. The death of his father in 1931 took away his desire to learn, but he decided to go to college anyway. He studied at the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Warsaw, but he did not graduate from any field. His stepmother was worried about Jeremi’s future, so she offered him singing lessons.
She was afraid that I would end up with no diploma and no prospects in some boring office job, so one day she said: ‘You have a nice voice. I met a famous singing professor recently and I told him about you. He said come to the voice test
– said Przybora, whose statement resembles .
To earn a living, Przybora took up various jobs. He was, among others, he was an editor at the “Co Please?” magazine, and he also gave Polish language lessons. In 1937, he started working at Polish Radio, where he was the announcer of “Warszawa II”. The outbreak of World War II in 1939 did not interrupt the operation of the radio station. The situation changed when the Warsaw Uprising began and German troops occupied the city.
In May 1945, Przybora moved to the Bydgoszcz branch of Polish Radio. There he co-created the program “Pokrzywy nad Brdą”. He spent three years in Bydgoszcz, then returned to Warsaw, where he met Jerzy Wasowski. In the years 1948-1956, the men ran the radio theater “Eterek”. Przybora was both the producer of the program (from the fourth episode) and the author of the lyrics, and Wasowski was the music composer. The episodes featured, among others: Irena Kwiatkowska, Tadeusz Fijewski and Adam Mularczyk.
When Przybora met Osiecka, “the randomness ended.” “I understood it immediately”
Jeremi Przybora’s first wife was Maria Burska, whom he married in October 1939. The woman was of the Orthodox faith, so the couple’s wedding took place in an Orthodox church. The young couple moved into the apartment of Przybora’s stepmother, who had left Poland after the outbreak of the war. The couple had a daughter, whom they named Marta. The couple moved to Łódź, but in May 1945 they went to Bydgoszcz and returned to Warsaw three years later. Przybora separated from Maria in the early 1950s.
Przybora’s next chosen one was Jadwiga Berens. In 1956, a son was born to them, and two years later they got married. Their happiness did not last long because Przybora met Agnieszka Osiecka, with whom he had a close relationship since 1964, when he first saw a woman at the Student Theater of Satirists.
Quite by accident, in random company, I found myself at STS, I danced with a few random girls, and then – with you, and the randomness ended, because we had been dating for years that night and I understood it immediately and that’s why I said to myself: Finally! That’s how it started. Maybe it’s because our songs (and songs are similar to birds) have been sitting on one tree for a long time, where no others sat? They are very different, but they are definitely from the same tree
– wrote Przybora in one of his letters to Osiecka. He quotes its content, recalling the content of the book “Żuan Don. Biografia Jeremi Przybora” by Maria Wilczek-Krupa.
After the premiere of Przybora’s biography, the romance between these two became loud again. The artist’s daughter claimed that it was not a fleeting acquaintance, but true love, which over time became the most important thing to her father. The couple was united not only by deep feelings, but also by intellectual compatibility.
Agnieszka escaped patterns and did not submit to social patterns, she was truly free. She wanted to give: she always had something for me, whether it was a book or another nice thing. She sent me cards from her trips and called me Little One, which was funny because I was not much younger than her. She was tender and generous, like a father
– Marta Przybora talked about Osiecka, whose words I quote.
The lovers’ great similarity turned out to be destructive. They failed to create a relationship that would last. The breakup turned out to be very painful, especially for Przybora, who tried not to mention Osiecka for the rest of his life. It was a taboo topic for him.
In 1968, Przybora divorced Jadwiga to marry again, this time with Alicja Wirth, who was a set designer in the “Rain Suite” program prepared by Jeremi. Wirth had a several-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, who over time accepted her mother’s new husband. Only with Alicja Przybora did he find peace.
He said he was a feminist. He believed that a woman was the most perfect creation and should be admired. His heart was ruled by women, towards whom he was gallant, charming, and whom he adored wonderfully. He was sensitive and could charm with words and good manners. There was a pre-war style in everything he did, how he moved, how he dressed – it was like a lockpick to a woman’s soul.
– Maria Wilczek-Krupa said about Przybor in an interview for .
There were even more women in Przybora’s life. The artist also met with Zofia Żuchowska, Maria Koterbska, Krystyna Walczakówna and Barbara Wrzesińska.
The 40-year-olds founded the Older Men’s Cabaret. “It wasn’t coquetry on our part”
In 1958, the legendary creation of Przybora and Wasowski was created, the Cabaret of Old Gentlemen. The first episode was broadcast on October 16 on Polish Television. Przybora and Wasowski were only in their forties at the time.
It wasn’t coquetry on our part. Although with this name we referred to the times and environments from which we both came, to the pre-war way of life and customs of that time, but by no means to the patterns of pre-war cabaret classics. (…) Basically, I was guided by the idea of having fun, entertaining myself and our recipients by breaking away from the gray, boring, ugly everyday life, from the boorishness that prevails around us
– said Przybora, quoted by .
The program was broadcast live on Polish Television, but it was not the only form of publishing the cabaret’s performances. The episodes were also broadcast on Polish Radio in the form of a radio play. The program presented conversations between Przybora and Wasowski between scenes and numerous songs written by Jeremi and composed by Jerzy. The lyrics mainly talked about male-female relationships and love turmoil. The cabaret’s famous songs include: “Cheap bastards”, “Don’t go away”, “You’re not bathing anymore for me” and “How thin the wall is”. Kabaret Starskich Panów is not only Przybora and Wasowski, but also a group of many outstanding stars of that time. The programs were attended by, among others: Kalina Jędrusik, Irena Kwiatkowska, Barbara Krafftówna and Wiesław Gołas.
The last episode of Kabaret Starskich Panów was broadcast on July 22, 1966 After 12 years, Przybora created Kabaret Even Older Men, but it did not gain the same popularity as the original.
The end of artistic activity. Towards the end of his life, Przybora fought with the disease
Przybora also created theatrical works. He wrote songs for the musical “Eat Daisies”, which, however, did not meet with the audience’s approval. Even songs created by the master of words did not influence the opinions of reviewers. When the theater turned out to be a failure, Przybora tried his hand at television. He created “Rain Suite” – a program devoted to songs about rain. He met his third wife, Alicja Wirth, on the set. In later years, Przybora composed texts for Hanna Banaszek’s musicals and recitals. In 1981, he created his last program with Wasowski – “Helpline”.
Jerzy Wasowski died in September 1984. The departure of his friend caused Przybora to withdraw from public life. He felt best at home, with his wife. In 1992, he published an autobiographical book, he also appeared on Wojciech Mann and Krzysztof Materna’s program and summarized fairy tales.
In 2000, Przybora’s wife, Alicja Wirth, died, which was a huge blow to him. Towards the end of his life, he suffered from thrombosis and was also diagnosed with melanoma. He died on March 4, 2004 at the age of 88. He was buried in the Evangelical Reformed cemetery in Warsaw.
Przybora won many awards during his lifetime. He received, among others: Award of the Minister of Culture and Art for radio and television work in 1973, Diamond Microphone in 1995, as well as the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta for outstanding contributions to Polish culture.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
