Poland Adieu
From Privilege to Peril
by
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Like millions of other people that would be swept up in the tempests of war, our lives were being ripped from their moorings. Nothing had prepared us for the cataclysmic changes we were about to face. It would be a long and sometimes treacherous journey in search of a safe harbor. When at last we could look back over the miles and years separating us from the world we were leaving behind, we would see that the way of life we had known, rooted in aristocratic traditions of earlier centuries, was gone forever.
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About the Book
Bogdan Broniewski spent his first seventeen years cosseted and indulged, with all the unquestioned privileges of a member of one of the wealthiest families in Poland. But after the Nazis attacked Poland in September 1939, his life was suddenly ripped apart. Poland Adieu shares the true story of Broniewski’s difficult and treacherous journey from a life of privilege to the perils of life as a refugee.
Broniewski begins his memoir by offering in-depth details into a world of hunting, horseback riding, and private tutors—a world abruptly shattered after he and his family are forced to flee their country. With their family fortune abruptly gone, the Broniewskis soon find themselves living for the next five and a half years as refugees in France, as the war rages around them. As young Broniewski exchanges comfort and security for hardship and danger, he grows into manhood while enduring illness, near starvation, and imprisonment. In spite of the overwhelming odds, Broniewski seeks an education and prepares to make his way in an uncertain world.
Poland Adieu is an inspiring story that proves that the drive to achieve success and happiness in life comes not from outside influences, but from strength and perseverance found deep within the soul.
About the Author
Bogdan Broniewski grew up in Poland as a member of a wealthy family. After fleeing Poland and narrowly surviving as a refugee in Nazi-occupied France, he enjoyed a successful career making valuable contributions to scientific research. He and his wife Colette have six children and live in Berre les Alpes outside Nice, France.