Dr Aleksandra Ziolkowska Boehm

Writer, Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm, PhD.
By Barbara J. Aleksandrowicz
An ACCOMPLISHED WRITER, ALEKSANDRA ZIOLKOWSKABOEHM
From American Indian History to…Her Cat
Member of the Polish Writers, Warsaw and the PEN American Center, Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm,
PhD. has written many magazine articles and a long list of published books.
Aleksandra's genealogy gives her the connection to South Dakota and the monument of Chief Crazy
Horse being carved from a mountain.
Korczak Ziolkowski who initiated this great monument is Aleksandra's great uncle. It is not surprising
that she has published a book about this next of kin who also worked on Mount Rushmore for a time
before taking on Chief Crazy Horse.
Aleksandra's son, Thomas Tomczyk share's his mother's talent but in other areas of interest. He is
a professional architect who enjoys photography and some good humor. He shares his photo stories
and cartoons on his website: http://www.bayislandsvoice.com .
Chief Crazy Horse
The Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota
Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski
Korczak Ziolkowski’s Crazy Horse
The famous actress Ingrid Bergman became even more popular for Aleksandra when she married her
husband Norman. Norman's grandmother and Ingrid's father were brother and sister making him
Ingrid's cousin.
Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Huberman in “Notorious” (1947)
Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman in “Casablanca” (1942)
Biography
Aleksandra Ziolkowska was born on April 15, 1949 in the city of Lodz, Poland. She studied at the
University of Lodz where she received a Masters Degree in Literature. This was followed by a Ph.D in
Humanities from the University of Warsaw.
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm with her husband Norman Boehm
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm, Ph.D., began her writing career as an assistant (1972-1974) to
Melchior Wankowicz, a prominent Polish writer. His status in Poland might be compared to that of
Ernest Hemingway in the English-speaking world. For her help and research, Wankowicz not only
dedicated his last book to her but also bequeathed her his archives.
Writer and journalist, Melchior Wankowicz (1892-1974)
Since April 1990, she has lived permanently in the United States. She resides in Wilmington,
Delaware. She is married to Norman Boehm and has one son Thomas Tomczyk (publisher, managing
editor "Bay Islands Voice", author of “Roatan Magic: Hidden Jewel of the Western Caribbean”.
Aleksandra, Norman and Thomas
She continues to publish her books in Poland and writes for numerous magazines in the Polish
language press in Poland, USA, Canada, France, and for English language periodicals in the USA.
The subject of her books has been: real life stories, Polish history, Polish writer Melchior Wankowicz,
American Indian history/culture/current status, and…her cat.
Awards
Ziolkowska-Boehm received a scholarship from the Oxford Language Center (Oxford, England) in
1975, and in 1977-1981, she worked as a member of the Repertoire Research Staff for the Warsaw TV
Theater.
She subsequently was awarded scholarships/ fellowships by: the Ontario Ministry of Culture in
Toronto (1982), the Canadian Polish Research Institute (1982), the A. Mickiewicz Foundation in
Toronto (1983), the Institute of International Education (Fulbright, Washington, D.C., 1985), the
Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, Fulbright Scholar (2006-2007).
In 2006 Aleksandra was awarded the Individual Artist Fellowship by the Delaware Division of the Arts,
branch of the Delaware Department of State. In 2006, Aleksandra received a Fulbright Grant Award to
spend nine months in Poland, as a resarcher at the Institute of History of the University of Warsaw.
Professional Memberships: ZAIKS in Warsaw, Society of Polish Writers SPP, Warsaw, Union of Polish
Writers Abroad in London, Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences
in New York, American PEN, New York chapter, Fulbright Association, Washington, D.C.
Her books
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm has written numerous books in her native language that were
published in Poland. Two of them were translated into English and published in Canada, and another is
currently accepted by an American publisher. Fragments of three of her books were translated into
German and published in an anthology (Nordost-Archiv, Luneburg).
Five of her books had three editions, and they were on the bestseller list. One of her books received
the title "Ksiazka Tygodnia" (Book of the Week), one was chosen as the best book of the year.
She is also a recipient of Kontrasty Award, Zloty Exlibris Award Ksiaznica Pomorska, the Delaware
Division of the Arts Award in the Literature-Creative Nonfiction discipline and Union of Polish Writers
Abroad Award, London.
Her book “Otwarta rana Ameryki” (“Open Wound of America”) is about the current outlook of Native
Americans. Her inspiration for the book was her great uncle, Korczak Ziolkowski, the sculptor of Crazy
Horse in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The English version of the book was published in the U.S. under the title “Open Wounds, a Native
American Heritage” (Nemsi, 2009).
Her book “Podroze z moja kotka” (“Travels with my Cat”) is on the publisher’s bestseller list in Poland.
In the USA it was published by the Purdue University Press under the title “On the Road with Suzy
from Cat to Companion.”
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm, her husband Norman Boehm and their cat Suzy (2008)
Aleksandra’s book „Kaja od Radoslawa, czyli historia Hubalowego Krzyza” (“Kaia Heroine of the 1944
Warsaw Rising”) was awarded as the best book of 2006 year by the London Union of Polish Writers
Abroad.
American edition is scheduled do be published in March 2012 by Lexington Books under the title “Kaia
Heroine of the 1944 Warsaw Rising”.
“A Polish Partisan's Story: Hubal, Auschwitz, and Beyond”
The Hubal partisans have earned a place in the hearts of the Polish people and their tale is just
becoming known in the English speaking world. The story of Major Henryk “Hubal” Dobrzanski and his
men in their desperate fight against the Nazis led to their immortalization in Melchior Wankowicz’s
1946 novel Hubalczycy (“The Hubal Partisans”).
Author of many books and magazine articles, Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm, Ph.D.
Aleksandra Zolkowska-Boehm with Zofia Korbonska, Washington, D.C. (2005)
This biography details the fascinating life of one of the Hubal partisans, Roman Rodziewicz, as told to
author Aleksandra Ziólkowska-Boehm. Roman’s life story is a true odyssey, ranging from his childhood
in Manchuria, his youth as a cavalryman in the Polish Army, coming of age with the Hubal partisans,
his incredible survival in the death camp at Auschwitz, and his expatriate life in London. The difficult
history of the Polish people finds a variety of expressions in the lives of her heroes, and this story is
emotionally compelling and beautifully rendered.
A listing of her books is available at www. Amazon.com where they may be purchased
online.