Rogoyska's grandfather served in Intelligence during the 1910s-1920s and, as deputy director of the
Bank of Poland when
World War II started, fled with his family on a government train that helped take gold secretly out of the country.[6] Rogoyska's father grew up in England and married an Englishwoman. Rogoyska grew up in England and only learned Polish as an adult.[6] She received an MA in modern languages from Christ's College,
Cambridge University and an MA in film production from the
Northern Film School (Leeds) and
Polish National Film School (
Łodź).[1][3][7]
Career
Rogoyska wrote a book about
Gerda Taro (here, on the Guadalajara front, circa July 1937)
Rogoyska made short films and commercials until 2010, when she refocused on writing, with particular interest in the 1930s through the
Cold War.[1][2] The 2013 book Gerda Taro: Inventing Robert Capa explores Taro's life and relationship with Capa.[3][8][9] The 2021 book Surviving Katyn examines the history of the
Katyn Massacre.[10][11][12] During research, she discovered that her own great-uncle Ludwik Rynkowski was one of the victims at Katyn.[6]
Rogoyska has also taught at the National Film & Television School, Derby University, Greenwich University, Royal College of Music, and the University of London.[7]
Works
Rogoyska has written about her ancestral Poland, most recently about the 1940
Katyn Massacre (here, map of massacre sites)