Irena Wygodzka with her husband Stanislaw Wygodzki

This is a picture of me, Irena Wygodzka, with my husband Stanislaw Wygodzki. It was taken in 1956 in Chylice.

My husband was working at the Ministry of Culture for some time, later only at home. All he'd do was write. I don't remember when he stopped working at the Ministry.

He wrote by hand, later typed it on a typewriter. He asked me to proofread his writing, I did the editing, later typed it on the typewriter. And after he submitted it at the publishing house, I'd do the subsequent revisions, which he checked.

He usually agreed with me. I often threw out lots of things, because he sometimes repeated some things.

At first I worked at 'Przeglad samochodowy.’ I collected materials about automobiles in the office. I later worked at 'Ksiazka i Wiedza,’ doing technical revisions, after all I didn't have a proper education to write texts by myself.

I worked until the birth of my son. In 1952 I gave birth to Adam. Later to my daughter, Ewa. She is three years younger than Adam. Almost to a day. They're all born on the 13th of January. My husband on the 13th, Ewa on the 13th, Adam on the 14th.

My husband and I never concealed our identity. My husband wrote about Jewish issues, about the Holocaust. Everyone knew he was a Jew. Our friends were also Jewish, but we were in touch with some Poles as well.

My husband was in the Polish Writers' Association, so he knew lots of writers. We talked about the Holocaust with our friends. Whatever we talked about, we'd always go back to the war.

Photos from this interviewee