Wanda Leopold
Wanda Leopold (13 October 1920 – 8 October 1977) was a Polish author, medical doctor, and social science activist known for her study of English writings beginning in West Africa, specifically Nigeria. A translator as well as a literary critic, she stressed the artistic qualities of creative writing. She was a scholar of Polish culture, literature, and language. Her book, "O literaturze Czarnej Afryki," (On The Literature of Black Africa) was the first Polish introduction to African literature that was written in both English, and French. Some of her first critical essays were on Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, and Wole Soyinka. Early life Wanda Leopold was the daughter of George Ivanovski who was a minister and senator of the Second Republic. Her uncles were: Wacław Ivanovsky - Belarusian social activist and politician, Tadeusz Ivanovo (Tadas Ivanauskas) - Professor of Biology at the University of Vilnius, Kaunas and lawyer Stanislav Ivanovo. Her uncle was Bronisław Ziemięcki - pre-war minister and mayor of Lodz. In 1938, she graduated from high school and 'Jawurkówny Kowalczykówny' (i.e. School for Rural ). In 1938-1939, she studied law at the University of Warsaw. While in school, she worked in the Association of Polish Democratic Youth, where