Jerzy Kosinski, born on 14th June, 1933 in Lodz, was a well-known Polish-American novelist. His birth name was Josek Lewinkopf. He did his graduation from Columbia University. He completed his MA in Political Science and History at the University of Lodz in 1953 and 1955 respectively. He was an Associate Professor and Ph.D. candidate at Institute of Sociology and Cultural History, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw. He also worked as a Research Assistant at Polish Academy of Arts and Science as Lomonosov, University of Russia.
Novelist Jerzy Kosinski went to United States in 1957. There he worked as a lecturer at Yale, Princeton, Davenport University and Wesleyan. He married Mary Hayward Weir, the American steel heiress, who died in 1968 due to brain cancer. Later he married Katherina von Fraunhofer. He was given the citizenship of USA in 1965.
Some of the notable works of Jerzy Kosinski include:
- The Future Is Ours, Comrade: Conversations with the Russians (1960)
- No Third Path (1962)
- The Painted Bird (1965)
- The Art of the Self: Essays a propos Steps (1968)
- Steps (1969)
- Being There (1971)
- The Devil Tree (1973)
- Cockpit (1975)
- Blind Date (1977)
- Passion Play (1979)
- Pinball (1982)
- The Hermit of 69th Street (1988)
The various awards received by Jerzy Kosinski are:
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- Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger (award for best foreign work of fiction) for The Painted Bird (France)- 1966
- National Book Award for Steps-1969
- Award in Literature, National Institute of Arts and Letters and American Academy of Arts and Letters- 1970
- B'rith Shalom Humanitarian Freedom Award- 1974
- American Civil Liberties Union First Amendment Award- 1977
- Writers Guild of America Best Screenplay Award for Being There with award winning screenwriter Robert C. Jones- 1979
- Polonia Media Perspectives Achievement Award- 1980
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Best Screenplay of the Year Award for Being There- 1981
- International House Harry Edmonds Life Achievement Award
- Received Ph.D. Honoris Causa in Humane Letters from Albion College, Michigan- 1988
- Received Ph.D. Honoris Causa in Humane Letters from State University of New York at Potsdam- 1989
On 3rd May, 1991, he committed suicide by taking dose of barbiturates.
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