Andrzej Chciuk was born in Drohobycz. His studies in law at the University of Lwow, Poland, were interrupted by WW II when he fled Poland in 1940 to join the Polish division fighting in France, as well as the French Resistance movement (the Maquis). During this time, he edited Polish underground journals. After the war he obtained a degree in journalism and social sciences in Paris and, in Grenoble, he studied towards an arts degree. He also worked for the Polish section of French radio and as a journalist for various French and Polish papers. In Australia he worked as a fruitpicker, lumberjack, city council employee, chef and high school teacher, after undertaking teacher training in Melbourne. He was a member of the Australian Society of Authors and an inaugural member of the Polish Cultural Foundation in Melbourne, as well as many other organisations. He began writing in Poland, and continued during his time in France.
In 1963 Chciuk toured most of Australia and wrote about Polish migrants in all states. Although this work was published in Polish newspapers, it never reached publication as a book. During the 1950s and '60s he wrote and produced some satirical revues and cabarets with B. Schenkel and T. Lezon. In 1971 he toured Europe and Israel, giving public readings in London, Paris, Berne, Munich and Tel Aviv. In 1973 he received one of the earliest grants from the Literature Board of the Arts Council, and his books have won four literary prizes. He also gave public readings in all Australian capital cities and in New Zealand. Some of Chciuk's books and second editions of early publications have appeared posthumously. His books have been widely reviewed and received recognition in Poland, and a doctoral thesis on his work has been undertaken at the Catholic University of Lublin .
See the following website (in Polish, archived on PANDORA) for more information about Chciuk's life and writings.
