Emanuel Schlechter (pseudonyms Eman, Olgierd Lech) (Emanuel Szlechter) (9 October 1904[1] – 1943) was born and died in Lwów. He was a Polish-Jewish artist, lyricist, screenwriter, librettist, writer, satirist, translator, composer and director.
His father was a house painter in Lwów.[2] The family name of his mother was Begeleiter. Emanuel's brother was Emil Henryk Szlechter (1906-1995),[3] an expert in the laws of Sumeria, Babylonia and Assyria. When Szlechter was 14 years old, he joined the Małopolskie Oddziały Armii Ochotniczej (Lesser Poland's Volunteer Army) and during summer 1920 he participated in the defense of Lwów.[4]
After passing his matura exam around 1923[4] he studied law at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lwów and worked briefly in a law firm. His earliest lyrics were written for Leon Borunski's songs, staged at the Morskie Oko theater's Parada gwiazd show in 1930, performed and recorded by Syrena Rekord star Kazimierz Krukowski.[5]