Korczak, Janusz
Korczak, Janusz (pseudonym of the Polish writer and educator Henryk Goldszmidt, 1878–1942),author of the utopian fairy‐tale novel Król Macuis I (1923; King Matt the First, 1986). He was the director of an orphanage in the Warsaw ghetto and voluntarily followed the children into the gas chambers of the concentration camp at Treblinka.
The novel is set in a fictional European kingdom. Little Matt is 6 years old when his father the king dies and Matt becomes king. In an adventurous plot, reminiscent of The Prince and the Pauper, Matt runs away and learns about the real needs of his people. He tries to be a just and generous ruler and to provide for the children of his country. However, his reforms fail, mostly owing to his inexperience and idealism, and the betrayal of adults. After a long series of adventures and trials, Matt is defeated in a war, captured by the neighbouring king, and exiled to a desert...
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