Maia Wojciechowska
Maia Teresa Wojciechowska was a prominent author known for her impactful literature aimed at children and young adults. Born in 1927 in Warsaw, Poland, she fled her homeland during World War II, undertaking a perilous journey to reunite with her family in the United States. After completing her education in Los Angeles, Wojciechowska pursued various careers, including undercover detective and professional tennis player, before establishing herself as a writer. Her first book, *Market Day for Ti Andre*, was published in 1952, but it was her Newbery Award-winning novel *Shadow of a Bull* (1964) that solidified her reputation, exploring themes of identity through the story of a boy torn between family expectations and personal aspirations.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Wojciechowska produced several acclaimed works that addressed complex adolescent issues such as drug abuse, depression, and self-discovery. Her memoir, *Till the Break of Day: Memories 1939-1942*, recounts her early life experiences during wartime, adding depth to her understanding of youth's emotional challenges. In later years, she ventured into sports literature, reflecting her background as a tennis champion. Wojciechowska passed away in 2002, leaving behind a legacy of literature that resonates with young readers searching for their own identities and places in the world.
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Subject Terms
Maia Wojciechowska
Detective
- Born: August 7, 1927
- Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
- Died: June 13, 2002
- Place of death: Long Branch, New Jersey
Biography
Maia Teresa Wojciechowska, author of numerous books for children and young adults, was born in 1927 in Warsaw, Poland. In 1939, as a young girl of twelve, Wojciechowska and her mother and brothers escaped from the Nazi invasion of Poland, making a difficult journey through Romania and Italy to join her father, a Polish Air Force officer, in France. Later, the family made their way to London via Spain and Portugal and relocated to the United States in 1942.
Wojciechowska finished high school and a year of college in Los Angeles, then held a number of jobs, including undercover detective, ghostwriter, and a professional tennis player and instructor. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1950 and was married to Selden Rodman from 1950 to 1957. Her first book, Market Day for Ti Andre, was published in 1952, beginning a successful career as a writer of books for children and young adults.
The Newbery Award-winning Shadow of a Bull (1964) drew on Wojciechowska’s experiences as an adolescent in Spain and established her as an author who wrote with sensitivity and realism about the problems of young people searching for identity. The novel combines the universal theme of a young boy searching for happiness with the exotic background of bullfighting in Spain. Young Manolo is expected to become a bullfighter like his father and is torn between loyalty to his family and his desire to become a doctor. The novel has been praised as “complex and vivid” with a detailed understanding of its bullfighting background and of adolescent emotions.
Wojciechowska published several books for young people with themes of identity and self-respect throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. Hollywood Kid (1967) and A Single Light (1968) were praised for their skilled writing craft and portrayal of the emotions of growing up. Tuned Out (1968), Don’t Play Dead Before You Have To (1970), and The Rotten Years (1971) deal with problems of drug abuse, depression, and suicide, and political activism in addition to coming-of-age themes.
Till the Break of Day: Memories 1939-1942 (1973) is Wojciechowska’s memoir of her wartime experiences traveling from Poland to the United States. The story of her life in this particular time and place in history is vivid and adventurous, and again her story is made compelling and universal by her portrayal of the emotions of adolescence.
Wojciechowska held a number of positions in the publishing industry in New York, including editorial positions and work as a literary agent. She married Richard Larkin in 1972 (divorced in 1981). In 1975, Wojciechowska formed her own publishing company. In the 1990’s, she wrote a series of books about sports. They include Dreams of Golf (1993), Dreams of Soccer (1994), and Dreams of Wimbledon (1995), drawing on her own experiences as a young tennis champion.
Maia Wojciechowska died of a stroke in 2002 in New Jersey. She is remembered as a writer dedicated to quality literature for young people, who wrote with insight and sensitivity about youth searching for identity, self-respect, and an individual place in the world.