BIO
Hi! Beata Chomątowska here. My surname is quite rare, but it’s not as hard to pronounce and remember as it may seem, especially when you divide it into four syllables: Cho-mą-tow-ska (Kho-mon-thou-ska). It was handed down by my father, who was born during the Second World War in Germany. My family roots are totally mixed up – my father’s family hails from the so-called ”Kresy” (Polish Eastern Borderlands), which is now part of Belarus. They survived the war as workers in Germany and after 1945, when they came to Poland, they had lost everything and had to start again from scratch in a new place near Wrocław. My mother’s family comes from the Galicia region and in the nineteenth century settled in Rabka-Zdrój, a spa town in the Polish mountains. I’m a Cracovian, born and bred, now living in Warsaw. I also used to live in Breda, the Netherlands (as I wrote in my book), and spent a significant amount of time in Berlin.
Most of the time, I call myself “a writer and a journalist”. I’m the author of several books the majority are reportages/non-fiction books, and two are novels. I have also written a huge amount of articles..
Anyway, although I have finished two fields of study, I haven’t studied journalism! By education, I’m an anthropologist of religion and a European Union specialist. I have learned journalism at its best – through practice, being employed by several daily newspapers. Today, I continue to contribute as a permanent collaborator to "Tygodnik Powszechny", and occasionally write for several other titles. For three years, I was also a member of the Polin Museum team. Between 2010 and 2022, I ran the non-governmental organisation, which emerged while I was working on my first book about Muranow district in Warsaw. The organisation implemented many projects – both local and international. This adventure also resulted in guided tours through Muranów and a few other places in Warsaw, which were focused mainly on architecture.
To write, one must read a lot – and this is what I really like. I share interesting reads and other fascinations on Instagram and Facebook.For many years, I’ve also been practising yoga, meditation and regular running. I don’t own a driving licence and move through the city on foot, by bike or public transport. I speak fluent English, less fluent Dutch and German, and I’m currently learning French. I have a weakness for Bauhaus and Praesens. I’m a member of an informal shaman church of Nick Cave, to whom I devoted my master’s degree.
PORTRAIT PHOTO TAKEN BY ANDRZEJ BANAŚ