Abstract
Jan Błoñski, who died after a long and debilitating illness in February 2009, was not only a leading Polish literary critic, but also played a crucial role in the transformation of Polish—Jewish relations in the last two decades of the twentieth century, a role that was recognized when he became, shortly before his death, the first recipient of the Father Stanisław Musiał Award for his role in promoting Christian—Jewish and Polish—Jewish dialogue. Born in Warsaw, he studied Polish language and literature at the Jagiellonian University. During the 1950s he was an editor at the magazine Przekrój and...