User:Marcelus/henryk

Henryk Szpilman (1 March 1911 – 1942 or 1943) was a Polish songwriter, poet, musician and translator of Jewish descent. Brother of [Władysław Szpilman], with whom he often co-worked before the war. Henryk was killed in Treblinka extermination camp in 1942 or 1943, probably some time after his parents and two sisters, with whom he was send there from Warsaw in mid 1942. Henryk was portrayed by Ed Stoppard in the 2002 Roman Polanski film The Pianist, which was based on his brother Władysław's autobiographical account of how he survived the German occupation of Warsaw and the Holocaust.

Biography
Hernyk was born in a family of muscians, as a son of Estera and Szmuel Szpilman, in 1915 in Polish town Sosnowiec, then part of Russian Empire. In 1928 his brother Władysław left for Warsaw to study piano, their parents joined Władysław in 1935. Henryk joined them year later after finishing high school.

In 1937 he debuted as a songwriter and composer with tango "Dla ciebie pieśń wyczarowałem". Later he wrote lyrics to tango "Nie odejdę" and slowfox "Nie spodziewałem się", composed by his brother. Also translated to Polish lyrics of Hugh Williams "Harbor Lights". In 1938 he wrote lyrics to tango "Skrzypeczki w nocy" and slowfox "Stara miłość nie rdzewieje", composed by Alfred Schütz. The same year he also wrote lyrics to song composed by his brother "Nie ma szczęścia bez miłości", which was sang by Hanna Brzezińska in Juliusz Gardan movie "Wrzos". He was also author of lyrics to "Piosenka zapomniana", another song composed by his brother.

Under alias "Henryk Herold" he was publishing short poems in "Szpilki" magazine.

In November 1938 Henryk started studying philosophy at University of Warsaw. His last professional achievement before the outbreak of the war were lyrics for waltz "Straciłam serce twe", composed by Władysław Szpilman for the movie "Doktor Murek".