On March 25, 1998, Jerzy Giedroyc, the founder and editor of the Paris "Culture", was awarded with the title of doctor honoris causa by the Senate of the University of Białystok. The ceremony of granting of the honorary diploma was held in the residence of the Scientific Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences and was regarded as a solemn session of the Senate of the University of Białystok.
By way of a resolution of the Senate of the University of Biarystok, on the day of September 27, 2000, the creator of the Literary Institute in Paris, Jerzy Giedroyc, became the patron of the University Library in Białystok.
Jerzy Giedroyc was born on the July 27, 1906 in Minsk Litewski (now the capital of Belarus). He descended from an old noble Lithuanian family that had for many generations played a significant role in the political and cultural life of historical Lithuania.
He graduated in history and law at the University of Warsaw. During his studies he engaged in social activity - he was the chairman of "The Party of Corporation" and "The Inter-Corporational Circle" in Warsaw, he participated actively in the academic organization "Emperial Thought". He was also an editor of "Academic Day" and "The Rebelion of Youth" biweekly, which was transformed into the "Politics" weekly.
In March 1946, in Rome, together with Jozef Czapski, Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski and Zofia and Zygmunt Hertz, he founded the Literary Institute. A year later, in July 1947, the first issue of "Culture" was released, which, according to the initial concept, was to be a quarterly. In October 1947 Giedroyc moved the Literary Institute to the vicinity of Paris, to Maisons-Laffitte. At the turn of 1947-1948 "Culture" was transformed into a monthly. As an editor-in-chief, he published in "Culture" works by writers, poets and thinkers who were covered by the prohibition of printing. Throughout the PRL period Maisons-Laffitte performed the function of an unofficial embassy of independent Poland.
Giedroyc also expanded the editorial activity. In 1953 he initiated publishing of the "Library of Culture" series, as well as "Historical Notebooks". By December 1999 over 500 volumes of "Library of Culture" had been released, including 130 issues of "Historical Notebooks". In the 1970s the Literary Institute also began to publish books by national authors. In December 1999 issue no. 627 of "Culture" was released.
Jerzy Giedroyc died on the September 14, 2000 in Maisons-Laffitte.