Gustaw Herling Grudziński (b. May 20, 1919 in Kielce, Poland - d. July 4, 2000 in Naples, Italy) was a Polish prose writer, literary critic, essayist.
Grudziński studied at the Warsaw University. During the Second World War, he co-founded on October 15, 1939 with his friends the underground resistance organization "Polska Ludowa Akcja Niepodległościowa, PLAN" in German and Soviet occupied Poland. He was arrested in March 1941 by the NKVD and sent to a camp in Vitsebsk. He left Russia in Anders's Army (Polish II Corps) and fought at Monte Cassino. In 1947 he co-founded and initially co-edited the magazine 'Kultura' then published in Rome. When the magazine moved he settled in London and in 1952 returned to Italy.
Winner of many prizes: 'Kultura' (1958), 'Jurzykowski' (1964), 'Kościelskis'(1966), 'The News' (1981), the Italian Premio Viareggio prize, the international 'Prix Gutenberg' and French Pen-Club. In 1998 he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle.
In 1951 he released his recollections of his time in Soviet prison camps - 'Another World' - one of the first and best works devoted top the subject in world literature. The book brought him international acclaim. His many-volumed journal covering the period 1973-1999 also enjoyed great success: 'Collected stories' (1990), 'Ringing the bell ringer's death knell' (2000), 'The shortest guidebook around oneself' (2000).
