Zbigniew Herbert AUD was an influential
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, essayist,
dramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
writerA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
,
authorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of
playsA play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, and moralist. A member of the Polish
resistance movementA resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
– Home Army (AK) during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he is one of the best known and the most translated post-war Polish writers. He was first published in 1950; his writing debut was a volume of verse String of light and it was published in 1956. One of Herbert’s most valuable works is a cycle of writings about Pan Cogito (Mr. Cogito), a character that is very modern but still sticks to the European cultural tradition. He was a distant relative of the 17th century poet
George HerbertGeorge Herbert was a Welsh born English poet, orator and Anglican priest.Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education that led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, Herbert excelled in...
.
Herbert was a cavalier of the Order of the White Eagle and was educated as an economist and lawyer. In the 1980s Herbert was the main poet of the Polish opposition. Starting in 1986, he lived in
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he cooperated with the journal Zeszyty Literackie. He came back to
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1992.
On 1 July 2007
the Polish GovernmentThe politics of Poland take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government of a multi-party system and the President is the head of state....
decided that 2008 would be the Year of Zbigniew Herbert.
1924–1956
The Herberts probably had some English roots and they came to
Galicia from
ViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. The poet’s father, Bolesław (half-blooded
ArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n), was a soldier in the
Polish LegionsPolish Legions was the name of Polish armed forces created in August 1914 in Galicia. Thanks to the efforts of KSSN and the Polish members of the Austrian parliament, the unit became an independent formation of the Austro-Hungarian Army...
during
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and a
defender of LwówBattle of Lviv begun on 1 November 1918 and lasted till May 1919 and was a six months long conflict between the forces of the West Ukrainian People's Republic and local Polish civilian population assisted later by regular Polish Army forces for the control...
; he was a lawyer and worked as a bank manager. Herbert’s grandfather was an English language teacher. Zbigniew’s mother, Maria, came from the Kaniaków family.
Before the war Zbigniew Herbert attended the Państwowe VIII Gimnazjum i Liceum im. Króla Kazimierza Wielkiego we Lwowie (during the Soviet occupation the name was changed to High School nr 14). After the German and Soviet invasion and subsequent occupation of Lwów, he continued his studies at the secret meetings organized by the Polish underground, where he graduated and passed the A-level exam (
maturaMatura or a similar term is the common name for the high-school leaving exam or "maturity exam" in various countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia,...
) in January 1944. At the same time, (following the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939) he probably got involved in conspiratorial action with the
AKThe Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
. During the occupation, he worked as a feeder of lice in the
Rudolf WeiglProfessor Rudolf Stefan Weigl was a famous Polish biologist and inventor of the first effective vaccine against epidemic typhus. Weigl founded the Weigl Institute in Lwów, Poland , where he did his vaccine-producing research.Of Austrian ethnic descent, Weigl was born in Přerov, Moravia...
Institute that produced anti-
typhusEpidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
vaccineA vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
s; he also worked as a salesman in a shop with metal articles. After his A-level exam, he began Polish Philology studies at the secret
University of Jan KazimierzThe Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...
in Lwów but had to break them off as a result of moving to
KrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
(spring 1944, before the invasion of the Soviet
Red ArmyThe Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in Lwów). Lwów after the war became a Ukrainian Soviet city, no longer within Polish borders. Its previous Polish population had been expelled. The loss of his beloved hometown, and the following feeling of being uprooted, were important motifs in his later works.
At first, he lived in
ProszowiceProszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship . Its population numbers 6,206 inhabitants . It is the capital of Proszowice County....
, near Kraków (May 1944 - January 1945). Herbert studied
EconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in Kraków and attended lectures at the
Jagiellonian UniversityThe Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
and at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1947, after three years of study, he got his Trade Academy diploma. He lived in
SopotSopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....
(from 1948), where his parents moved in 1946. He worked different jobs; in the Polish National Bank (NBP) in
GdyniaGdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
(1 March – 30 June 1948), as a sub-editor of the journal Przegląd Kupiecki, and in
GdańskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
department of the Polish Writers’ Union (ZLP). He met Halina Misiołkowa there (their relationship lasted until 1957). In 1948 he became a member-candidate of the ZLP but resigned in 1951; however, he joined the union again in 1955.
While living in Sopot, he continued his Law studies at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in
ToruńToruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
, where he received a Master of Law. In the same year he was carried on the list on the second year of Philosophy at NCU in Toruń, where he was inter alia a student of his later master,
Henryk Elzenberg. In 1949 Herbert moved to Toruń, and worked in the District Museum and in primary school as a teacher.
In Autumn 1951 the poet moved to the
University of WarsawThe University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
, where he continued studying Philosophy for some time. At first, he lived alone in very poor conditions in suburban Warsaw, Brwinów, but then (December 1952 - January 1957), he lived in Warsaw itself on Wiejska Street in a room rented by 12 people. Subsequently, Herbert moved to an official flat on Aleje Jerozolimskie.
He tried to live from his writing. However since he did not follow the official socrealistic style of literature and was unwilling to write political
propagandaPropaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
this proved to be unsuccessful. He published theatrical and musical criticisms and reports from exhibits which ignored the criteria of socrealistic art. In 1948 the weekly magazine Tygodnik Wybrzeża published his cycle Poetyka dla Laików (Poetry for Lay People). Herbert also published a few of his reviews in the journal Słowo Powszechne in 1949 under his real name and a year later under a pen name, Patryk. The same happened with his publishing in
Tygodnik PowszechnyTygodnik Powszechny is a Polish Roman Catholic weekly magazine, focusing on social and cultural issues. Established in 1945 under the auspices of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Jerzy Turowicz was its editor-in-chief until his death in 1999. He was succeeded by priest Adam Boniecki.-History:The...
. In 1952 Przegląd Powszechny, published a few of his reviews under a pen name – Bolesław Hertyński.
He published under the pen name Stefan Martha in Dziś i Jutro, the
PAX AssociationThe PAX Association was a pro-communist secular Catholic organization created in 1947 in the People's Republic of Poland. In 1953, PAX gave its support to the Stalinist show trial of the Kraków Curia, and took over the publication of the Catholic weekly magazine Tygodnik Powszechny – until the...
magazine (1950–1953). These
periodicalsMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
represented a different styles of
CatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. Pax sought to 'collaborate' with the communist government, while Tygodnik Powszechny took a more oppositional stance (it was legal but its circulation was limited). Herbert definitely finished his cooperation with PAX in 1953. Przegląd Powszechny was closed and Tygodnik Powszechny was transferred to PAX after it refused to publish an obituary of
Joseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
’s death. In this situation Herbert decided that his cooperation with PAX was impossible.
During this time, he also earned money from biographies and librarian registrations. From January until July 1952, he was a salaried blood donor. He also had to undertake a job not connected with writing again. He worked as a timekeeper in Inwalidzka Spółdzielnia Emerytów Nauczycieli ‘Wspólna Sprawa’ (from 1 October 1953 till 15 January 1954), and also as a senior assistant in Centralne Biuro Studiów i Projektów Przemysłu Torfowego Projekt Torf (19 January – 31 November). Thanks to the help of
Stefan KisielewskiStefan Kisielewski , nicknames Kisiel, Julia Hołyńska, Teodor Klon, Tomasz Staliński, was a Polish writer, publicist, composer and politician, and one of the members of Znak, one of the founders of the UPR, the polish libertarian and conservative political party.Kisielewski was born to a Polish...
, Herbert worked as a manager of the office of the Chief Management in the Union of Socialist Composers (ZKP) from September 1956 till March 1957.
1956–1981
The year 1956 in Poland marked the end of
StalinismStalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
and as a result also of
social realismSocial Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
as the only and obligatory style in art and literature. This enabled Herbert's debut as a poet. Thanks to this, his material position also improved.
In 1957 supported by
Jerzy ZawieyskiJerzy Zawieyski, born Henryk Nowicki, was a Polish playwright, prose writer, Catholic political activist and amateur stage actor...
he received a small studio to live in (in Warsaw) one of the flats distributed for young writers by the Polish Union of Writers (ZLP). He also was granted a scholarship (100 USD) that allowed him to go on his first trip abroad.
Herbert was attached to his homeland, but at the same time was deeply disgusted by all effects (political, economical, cultural etc.) of the communist rules enforced by the
Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on Poland (arguably the best artistic expression of this disgust is contained in his poem "The power of taste"). Therefore a will to escape from this gloomy reality and see "a better world" was one of important driving forces behind his passion for traveling.
Even though he spent a great deal of time abroad he never wanted to choose the life of an émigré. Despite administrative difficulties imposed by the communist regime with regard to longer stays abroad he always tried to extend his Polish passport while abroad so that the possibility of coming back home was always open.
His first lively impressions from his trips and reflections triggered by the direct contact with the cultural heritage of the Western Europe were enclosed in the essay "The Barbarian in the Garden" (Barbarzyńca w Ogrodzie, 1962). He also says in his poem The Prayer of Mr. Cogito – The Traveller (Modlitwa Pana Cogito – podróżnika) travelling allowed him to get to know better the world beautiful and of such variety”.
Herbert’s trips cost as little as possible, as a poet’s finances (from not stable sources: prizes, honorariums for the readings etc.) were very limited. This way of life contributed to his weak health condition in the future; however,
He traveled through Vienna to France (May 1958 – January 1959), he visited
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(January – March 1959),
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(June – July 1959) and then France again. He came to Poland in May 1960. The result of that journey was the essay Barbarzyńca w ogrodzie (The Barbarian in the Garden).
In Autumn 1960 Herbert travelled to England and
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In December 1963 he went to Paris. In January 1964 he was given the Kościelski Prize in the Polish Library in Paris, which allowed him to extend his stay in the West. In 1964 he spent the Summer in Italy (July – August) and in
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(October 1964). Then he came back to France and at the end of that year he returned to Poland.
From 1965 till 1968 he was a member of the editorial team at the monthly magazine Poetry. In 1965/66 he was a literary manager of the Juliusz Osterwa Theatre in
Gorzów WielkopolskiGorzów Wielkopolski is a city in western Poland, on the Warta river. It is the biggest city in the Lubusz Voivodeship with 125,149 inhabitants...
.
In October 1965 he was awarded with The Lenau Prize, and he went Vienna to receive it.
This period also marks a growing international esteem for Herbert as a man of culture. He becomes a member of Academy of Arts in
West BerlinWest Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
and Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts in
MunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
He stayed in
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
till spring 1966.
Herbert travels across
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and then stays longer in France (June 1966 – September 1967). Then he arrives again to Germany, visiting
Holland and
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. On 29 March 1968 he marries Katarzyna Dzieduszycka in a Polish consulate in France. At the end of April, the Herberts returned to Berlin. In the summer of 1968, Herbert visited the USA (invited by the Poetry Center). He went to
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, The Great Canyon,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, New Orleans,
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. At that time, the translation of his works was published in the USA, which made Herbert one of the most popular contemporary poet in the English literary circles. While traveling across the country he gave several talks in New York,
Berkley- Places :United Kingdom* Berkley, SomersetUnited States* Berkley, Colorado* Berkley, Iowa* Berkley, Maryland* Berkley, Massachusetts* Berkley, Michigan* Berkley, Virginia, formerly a town, and now a neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia...
and Los Angeles. After visiting the USA, Herbert went back to Berlin, where he lived until September 1970 (with some short breaks to Poland and a holiday in Italy). In 1969, he took part in Dei Duo Mundi – The Festival of Two Worlds. From September 1970 to June 1971, the Herberts again stay in the USA, where the poet gave lectures as a visiting professor at
California State University, Los AngelesCalifornia State University, Los Angeles is a public comprehensive university, part of the California State University system...
.
From Autumn 1971 to Spring 1973, not having his own flat, he lived in Artur Międzyrzecki’s flat in Warsaw. In 1972 he became a member of the board of the Polish Literary Association (ZLP). At that time he got involved in pro-democracy actions initiated by writer circles - he was one of the signatories of 'List 17’ (‘Letter of 17’) which supported civil rights of the members of an openly anti-communist organization
The Movement- Music :* The Movement , an American rock/reggae band* The Movement , the house music act* The Movement , a Danish/German mod revival punk band* The Movement , 2003...
(Ruch). He was also an organizer of protests against
censorshipthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. In 1972 he joined
Pen Club.
In 1973 he received the
Herder’s PrizeJohann Gottfried von Herder was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the periods of Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, and Weimar Classicism.-Biography:...
in Vienna. The summer of that year he spent together with Magdalena and
Zbigniew CzajkowscyZbigniew Czajkowski is a fencing coach. Czajkowski has been dubbed "Father of the Polish School" of fencing. He has been coach to many champions, including Egon Franke - the first Pole to earn an Olympic gold medal in fencing....
in Greece. He came back to Poland in Autumn 1973. He spent the academic year of 1973/74 giving lectures at the University of Gdansk. In 1974, he worded the ‘Letter of 15’ (‘List 15’) which was about the laws of the Polish Community in the
Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In December 1975, he signed ‘Letter of 59’ (‘Memoriał 59’) against the changes in the
Constitution of the People's Republic of PolandThe Constitution of the People's Republic of Poland was passed on 22 July 1952. Created by the Polish communists in the People's Republic of Poland, it was based on the 1936 Soviet Constitution , and it superseded the post-war provisional Small Constitution of 1947 which, at its turn, had declared...
forced by the communist party introducing mostly declarations of eternal loyalty of Poland to the Soviet Union. In 1974 he settled at Promenade’s Street in Warsaw.
From 1975 to 1981 Herbert lived abroad, mainly in Germany, Austria and Italy.
1981–1998 (later life)
Herbert came back to Poland at the beginning of 1981 – in the short period of the legal existence of Solidarity, the only independent mass organization in the Soviet bloc. At that time he joined the editorial team of the underground journal
ZapisZapis is the sixth and the latest studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band Kerber, released in 1996.-Track listing:All songs written by Kerber and Duško Arsenijević .# "Medena" – 4:30# "Sanjam" – 4:15...
(Record). At the time of the martial law he supported the opposition personally, under his own name – he attended the secret meetings and published in ‘second circulation’. His writings have become the manifesto of freedom, the expression of the resistance and the poet himself has become the symbol of uncompromised objection, especially for the young people. Przemysław Gintrowski played a huge role in presenting Herbert to the contemporary audience. Together with
Jacek KaczmarskiJacek Kaczmarski was a Polish singer, songwriter, poet and author.Kaczmarski was a voice of the Solidarity trade union movement in 1980s Poland, for his commitment to a free Poland, independent of Soviet rule. His songs criticized the ruling communist regime and appealed to the tradition of...
and Zbigniew Łapiński, he composed the music to the poet’s writings and performed it on stage. Herbert himself wasn’t pleased with these doings at the beginning; however, later he accepted them and joked that he ‘writes lyrics for Gitrowski’.
In 1986 Herbert moved to Paris. In 1989 he joined the Polish Writers’ Association (Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich) . A year later he became a member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. In 1991, receiving the
Jerusalem PrizeThe Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society. It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Fair, and the recipient usually delivers an address when accepting the award...
gave Herbert another reason to travel to
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
for a while.
In 1992 the seriously ill poet returned to Warsaw. The fierce anticommunist journalism of
Tygodnik SolidarnośćTygodnik Solidarność is Polish conservative newspaper. Started and published by the Solidarity movement on 3 April 1981, it was banned by the People's Republic of Poland following the martial law declaration from 13 December 1981 and the thaw of 1989...
(1994, # 41) and supporting the statement of the editorial office of
ArkaArka is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary.- External links :* -See also:* Arka Gdynia...
magazine about the decommunisation of the elites stoked the controversy among Herbert’s opposition friends. He praised the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
anti-communist spy Colonel
Ryszard KuklińskiRyszard Jerzy Kukliński was a Polish colonel, Cold War spy and whistleblower. He passed top secret Warsaw Pact documents to the CIA between 1971 and 1981...
in an open letter to then president
Lech WałęsaLech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
in 1994, and later also expressed support for the Chechen Dzjochar Dudajev. He also organized the financial aid for
ChechnyaThe Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
. This wasn’t his only initiative. Earlier in an open letter to U.S. President
George H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
he criticized the indifference towards the situation of Kurds. What is more, he supported the investigation of Liga Republikańska (Republican League) in the case of assassination of Stanisław Pyjas and advocated revealing the UB (Office of Security) files from 1956. In 1994 in the interview for Tygodnik Solidarność he criticized not only the
Round Table AgreementThe Polish Round Table Talks took place in Warsaw, Poland from February 6 to April 4, 1989. The government initiated the discussion with the banned trade union Solidarność and other opposition groups in an attempt to defuse growing social unrest.-History:...
and the politics of the Third Polish Republic (III Rzeczpospolita), but also accused some prominent public figures, such as Czesław Miłosz and
Adam MichnikAdam Michnik is the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, where he sometimes writes under the pen-names of Andrzej Zagozda or Andrzej Jagodziński. In 1966–1989 he was one of the leading organizers of the illegal, democratic opposition in Poland...
as being personally responsible for the country's difficulties. These controversial opinions prompted counter-polemics that would continue even after Herbert’s death. This conflict has its roots in different judgments on the communist regime in Poland at the time of the People’s Republic of Poland.
In 1993 Herbert became a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1994, already in a wheelchair, he traveled on a very personal trip to Holland for a tulip festival in Nieuwe Kerk. The last years of his life he spent in bed fighting with severe asthma. Despite that he never stopped working – Epilog burzy (Epilogue to a Storm) was published shortly before his death.
Zbigniew Herbert died on 28 July 1998, in Warsaw. He was buried in
Powązki CemeteryPowązki Cemetery , also known as the Stare Powązki is a historic cemetery located in the Wola district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city, and one of the oldest...
. President
Aleksander KwaśniewskiAleksander Kwaśniewski is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule he was active in the Socialist Union of Polish Students and was the Minister for Sport in the communist government in the 1980s...
sought posthumously to honor Herbert with the Order of the White Eagle, but his widow Katarzyna declined to accept the honor. On 3 May 2007, Herbert was posthumously invested with the Order of the White Eagle by President
Lech KaczyńskiLech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
; Herbert's widow Katarzyna and sister Halina Herbert-Żebrowska accepted the Order.
Poetry
The first poems by Zbigniew Herbert were published in Dziś i jutro (#37, 1950). Poems entitled: Napis (Inscription), Pożegnanie września and Złoty środek were printed however, without the permission of the author. The real debut occurred at the end of the same year with the publishing of the poem without the title (Palce wrzeciona dźwięków…) in Tygodnik Powszechny (#51). Until 1955 the poet published some of his works in that newspaper; however, kept out of the literary environment. Not having a chance for his own volume of poems, he decided to publish 22 poems in the anthology of modern catholic
poetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
…każdej chwili wybierać muszę… (Warsaw, 1954).
Herbert was introduced to the bigger audience in Premiera pięciu poetów (The debut of five poets) in magazine Życie Literackie (#51, December 1955). He was presented together with other young poets, such as Miron Białoszewski, Bohdan Drozdowski,
Stanisław Czycz and
Jerzy Harasymowicz. In 1956 he published his debut book of poetry Struna światła (String of Light) and year later another one Hermes, pies i gwiazda (Hermes, Dog and Star). A relatively late debut of Herbert made him belong to the modern generation in literature which appeared after 1956, whereas biographically he belonged to the same generation as
Krzysztof Kamil BaczyńskiKrzysztof Kamil Baczyński, was a Polish poet and Home Army soldier, one of the most renowned authors of the Generation of Columbuses, the young generation of Polish poets of whom many perished in the Warsaw Uprising.-Biography:...
and
Tadeusz RóżewiczTadeusz Różewicz is a Polish poet and writer.Różewicz belongs to the first generation born and educated after Poland regained its independence in 1918. His youthful poems were published in 1938...
.
Another two books of poetry: Studium przedmiotu (Study of the Object) and Napis (Inscription) were published in 1961 and 1969. In 1974 the main character from another book of poetry Pan Cogito (Mr. Cogito) appeared in the Polish culture. The character of Pan Cogito appeared also in the later works of the author. The poet always liked to use the lyric of role (in which the lyrical persona cannot be identified with the author), multistage irony – the character introduced for good favored the game conducted by the author, between him and the reader.
In 1983 the Literary Institute in Paris published another book of poetry by Herbert entitled Raport z oblężonego Miasta i inne wiersze (Report from a Besieged City and Other Poems). In Poland it was reprinted by the underground publishing houses. The time and the circumstances favored the literal understanding of the poem’s title. Despite the fact that the title provoked such understanding, it led to the simplification in interpreting the poem. Another book of poems Elegia na odejście (Elegy for the Departure) (1990) was published also in Paris. In 1992, back in Poland, Herbert published Rovigo (Wrocław). Finally, the last work of the poet Epilog burzy (Epilogue to a Storm) came out shortly before his death.
Herbert often used elements of mythology, medieval heroes and works of art in his writing, which attracted the attention of the critics. Those elements, however, didn’t mean the dead parts of literary convention. Herbert uses the mechanism of special demythologization - he tries to get rid of any cultural layers (if possible) and reach the prototypes, face the antique heroes. In his literary output the past is not treated as something distant or closed – revived characters and events allow making an attempt at understanding not only history but also the current moment. The past is a measure of the present.
In Herbert’s poetry there is no consistent historiosophic conception. Quite the opposite – there is a clear reluctance towards systems which clarify everything, which explain a course of events as an inevitable logic of history. Everything what can be said about history is a result of a simple observation – namely, that history is (at least it used to be so far) the area where evil is rife, which is accompanied by a handful of indomitable people constantly opposed to it. An individual is not able to change the course of history; however, he is obliged to put up hopeless resistance despite everything. The ethical base of Herbert’s artistic work constitutes the conviction that justice of a particular matter and actions taken in its defense; do not depend on a chance of victory. This pathetic message is accompanied by ironic consciousness of the fact that it is delivered in not a very heroic period – a period in which a potential hero is exposed not so much to martyrdom as to ridiculousness. The characteristic of the contemporary world is the fuzzy borderline between good and evil, the degeneration of language, which deprives words of their clear-cut nature, and common debasement of values. Contemporary evil is not demonic and cannot be easily defined. The hero, being aware of his own ridiculousness, provokes critical situations not only for preserving faithfulness of the message but also in order to provoke and force evil to reveal its real nature.
Yet, the tough assessment of the present does not mean idealizing history. The last war experiences have put an end to the naïve perception of the past. The exposer’s suspicion arises because visions of history are created usually by the winners’ chroniclers. Therefore, what is under the fresco Przemiany Liwiusza (Transformations of Livy) should be analyzed diligently. The monumental picture of the ancient heroes can be false, or in other way – it can be based on judging criteria, which should not be acknowledged uncritically. Possibly, the vanquished are those who are entitled to our solidarity.
According to Herbert, the field of history being maybe the easiest one to make observations is not the only one in which evil reveals itself. The presence of evil entails the question of life’s meaning and order, which means that also of presence of
GodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
in the world. The history of literature has not yet settled a dispute over the
sacredHoliness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
in Herbert’s poetry. In his earliest volumes one can notice two completely different images of God, once he is almighty, cold, perfect and remote and next time powerless by his coming down from heaven Kapłan (Priest), Rozmyślania Pana Cogito o odkupieniu (Mr. Cogito’s Reflections on Redemption). The first God is rather disliked – as all abstractions – indeed; everything that is valued in this poetry is small, tangible and close. After all, it is nothing else but senses, especially the most unerring touch, which give us the most reliable support in everyday life. Moreover, in this poetry, one has never reconciled oneself to the collapse of the sacred, as well as to the world of chaos. Against everything, being loyal – even to dead God – make sense. For want of no other refuge, we are supposed to seek power in us to save the world from chaos and nothingness Napis (Inscription).
In his later works, there is less such pagan declarations, yet the need for reconciliation is being articulated more and more clearly. Compared to the poems from Epilog Burzy (Epilogue to the Storm) and his previous works, Puste Niebo Pana Cogito collected not very favourable critics’ opinions.
Poetic style
In his works he presented the 'reflection-intellectual' perspective, with stress on human beings and their dignity, to the background of history, where people are almost irrelevant cogs in the machine of fate. He often used elements of Mediterranean culture in his works.
"Herbert's steadily detached, ironic and historically minded style represents, I suppose, a form of classicism. But it is a one-sided classicism (....) In a way, Herbert's poetry is typical of the whole Polish attitude to their position within the communist bloc; independent, brilliant, ironic, wary, a bit contemptuous, pained." - A. AlvarezAl Alvarez is an English poet, writer and critic who publishes under the name A. Alvarez and Al Alvarez....
, Under Pressure (1965)
"If the key to contemporary Polish poetry is the selective experience of the last decades, Herbert is perhaps the most skillful in expressing it and can be called a poet of historical irony. He achieves a sort of precarious equilibrium by endowing the patterns of civilization with meanings, in spite of all its horrors." - Czesław Miłosz, Postwar Polish Poetry (3rd ed., 1983)
"There is little doubt that at this writing Zbigniew Herbert is the most admired and respected poet now living in Poland. (...) Polish readers have always revered poets who succeed in defining the nation's spiritual dilemma; what is exceptional in Herbert is that his popularity at home is matched by a wide acclaim abroad." - Stanisław Barańczak, A Fugitive from Utopia (1987)
In modern poetry, Herbert advocated semantic transparency. In a talk given at a conference organized by the journal "Odra" he said:
"So not having pretensions to infallibility, but stating only my predilections, I would like to say that in contemporary poetry the poems that appeal to me the most are those in which I discern something I would call a quality of semantic transparency (a term borrowed from Husserl's logic). This semantic transparency is the characteristic of a sign consisting in this: that during the time when the sign is used, attention is directed towards the object denoted, and the sign itself does not hold the attention. The word is a window onto reality."
Essays
Barbarzyńca w ogrodzie (Barbarian in the Garden), the result of Herbert’s first trip abroad, was portrayed in 1962. It is composed of essays, which describe particular places and things that have been seen by the poet, as well as two historical essays – the story about Albigensians and the persecution of the
templarThe Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
order.
The journey takes place in two dimensions simultaneously – it is both contemporary travel and time travel. The last one starts with prehistory, in the
LascauxLascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne. They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be...
caves, lasts over the age of Greek and
RomanAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
antiquityClassical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
, the days of
GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
cathedrals,
RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
painting and sentimental gardens. The journey becomes fascinating because the traveler shares with his readers the knowledge of the less and more serious history of the places, items and people portrayed in the essays. Even Herbert defined it as not only a journey to the places, but also to books.
In Barbarzyńca w ogrodzie there are two historical essays. The Albigensian history and the collapse of the Knights Templars absorbed Herbert not because of its peculiarity, but quite the opposite, namely because of its ubiquity in history. Therefore, both of the themes are described by the poet with proper respect to historical detail and towards the drama of the individuals being involved, thereby timeless crime mechanisms have been revealed.
Another collection of essays, Martwa natura z wędzidłem (Still Life with a Bridle), portrayed in 1993, is devoted to seventeenth-century Dutch painting. Just as in Barbarzyńca w ogrodzie, here widely accepted assessments have no impact on the author’s personal preferences. Among
DutchThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
painters, the one who fascinates Herbert the most is hardly known Torrentius, whose work Martwa natura z wędzidłem is the only one to be preserved. In this particular volume of essays the figure of traveler is less noticeable than in the previous one. Yet, people still arouse Herbert’s interest – not only painters, also those who were buying and often ordering their works – since Dutch painting is typical of a certain civilization and is not possible to exist in any other place or time.
Although written much more earlier than Martwa natura z wędzidłem, the last volume of essays Labirynt nad morzem (Labyrinth on the Sea-Shore) was portrayed only after the poet’s death. Herbert handed in this volume to the Czytelnik publishing house already in 1968, however some time later withdrew it. Labirynt nad morzem consists mainly of essays devoted to ancient Greek culture and history, as well as in a lesser degree to the Etruscans and the Roman legionnaires from
Hadrian’s WallHadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
. This time however, the traveler seems not to be seeking his own ways – he copes with the monuments of culture – the
Acropolis of AthensThe Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...
or
KnossosKnossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square...
. Yet, when referring to the history of Greece, Herbert draws out the episodes which take up not too many pages in textbooks, and wrecks view patterns. He shows how
Pericles’Pericles was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars...
policy in the case of
SamosSamos is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of Asia Minor, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate regional unit of the North Aegean region, and the only municipality of the regional...
became the beginning of the end of not only the Greek cities union but also of Athenian democracy. The assessments of history are reviewed in the same way as the one postulated in the poetry – by changing the perspective, rejecting the winners’ point of view. That is in Labirynt nad morzem where the above rule was given the most visibly.
Dramas
All Herbert’s dramas originated relatively early. The first four dramas were written between the years 1956 and 1961, and only the last one, the
monodramaA monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character.- Monodrama in opera :...
Listy naszych czytelników (Letters from Our Readers), in 1972. Some of these works were created as radio plays, or later, adapted for radio. We can observe this in their structure as tension is produced mainly by means of sound (main characters’ voices, sounds in the background, or silence); some other theatrical measures appear to a minimum degree. Even the poet used the term “drama for voices”.
Jaskinia filozofów (Cave of Philosophers), probably the most valued among all Herbert’s dramas, and Rekonstrukcja poety (The Reconstruction of the Poet) refer to antiquity. The plot of Jaskinia filozofów is set in an
AthenianAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
prison cell, where the main character,
Socrates Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
, waits for his death sentence. Conversations held with his students, wife and warder let him conduct an examination of his life; however, this is not the only theme brought up in the drama. Socrates could easily escape if he wants, as the death penalty was to be token. Those by whom he was sentenced, presume that he will escape and they saw to it that he had such a possibility. Yet, the philosopher does not reconcile himself to the
hypocrisyHypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
of freedom without actual freedom – he goes to extremes and finally resigns himself to death. Rekonstrukcja poety refers to
HomerIn the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
. The author of great epics, being already blind, alters his view into something vital and worthy of interest – no more battle’s clamor, but now detail, something which is considered to be the most personal and fragile.
The remaining three dramas refer to more contemporary themes. The way of showing the ordinariness and triviality of situation, in which evil reveals itself, is extremely convincing. One can crave the other room so much as to wish a neighbour’s death or even to contribute to it Drugi pokój (The Other Room). One can be deprived of everything that matters a lot in life, as a result of inhuman regulations and human stupidity. Listy naszych czytelników (Letters From Our Readers). In a small normal town, among respectable people, even murder can happen. The murder which no one is able to explain, and which no one had attempted to stop (Lalek).
Awards and prizes
According to a note made by the
secret police (SB)Służba Bezpieczeństwa Ministerstwa Spraw Wewnętrznych , or just SB, was established in the People's Republic of Poland in 1954...
agent in the Polish Union of Writers (Związek Literatów Polskich) Herbert was a candidate for the 1968
Nobel Prize in LiteratureSince 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
along with another Polish writer
Witold GombrowiczWitold Marian Gombrowicz was a Polish novelist and dramatist. His works are characterized by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and an absurd, anti-nationalist flavor...
. This information was provided by the
Nobel committeeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
secretary who was visiting Poland at that time. A historian from the Instytut Pamięci Narodowej Rafał Sierchuła speculates that the communist government in Poland may have made active attempts to prevent them from receiving the prize, due to their anti-communist opinions.
- Nagroda Pierścienia i tytuł Księcia Słowa (Polish Student Union) (1961)
- Kościelskis Foundation Prize (Genewa) (1963)
- The Alfred Jurzykowski Prize (1965)
- Nikolaus Lenau Prize (1965)
- Austrian State Prize for European Literature
The Austrian State Prize for European Literature , also known as the European Literary Award , is a literary prize in Austria awarded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Art to European writers...
(1965)
- Herder Prize
The Herder Prize, established in 1963 and named for Johann Gottfried von Herder, was a prestigious international prize dedicated to the promotion of scientific, art and literature relations, and presented to scholars and artists from Central and Southeastern Europe whose life and work have improved...
(Austria) (1973)
- Petrarca-Preis
Petrarca-Preis is a European literary award named after the Italian Renaissance poet Francesco Petrarca or Petrarch. It was founded in 1975 by German art historian and publisher Hubert Burda, and is primarily designed for contemporary European poets, but also epicists appear in the list of...
(Germany) (1979)
- Struga Prize (1981)
- ‘Solidarity’ Prize (1984)
- Nagroda Poetycka im. Sępa Szarzyńskiego (1984)
- International Literary Prize of the Arts Council of Wales (1984)
- The Hungarian Foundation of Prince Gabor Bethlem Prize (1987)
- The Bruno Schulz
Bruno Schulz was a Polish writer, fine artist, literary critic and art teacher born to Jewish parents, and regarded as one of the great Polish-language prose stylists of the 20th century. Schulz was born in Drohobycz, in the province of Galicia then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and spent...
Prize (American Foundation of Polish – Jewish Studies and American Pen Club) (1988)
- Nagroda Pen Clubu im. komandora K. Szczęsnego (1989)
- Jan Parandowski
Jan Parandowski was a Polish writer, essayist, and translator. Best known for his works relating to classical antiquity, he was also the president of the Polish PEN Club between 1933 and 1978, with a break during World War II.He was born in Lwów, Austria-Hungary and died in Warsaw.-Biography:Jan...
Polish PEN Club Prize (1990)
- Jerusalem Prize
The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society. It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Fair, and the recipient usually delivers an address when accepting the award...
for the Freedom of the Individual in Society (1991)
- Vilenica Prize (Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Słoweńskich) (1991)
- Nagroda im. Kazimierza Wyki (1993)
- Nagroda Krytyków Niemieckich for the best book of the year (Martwa Natura z Wędzidłem | Still Life with Bridle) (1994)
- The Ingersoll Foundation's T. S. Eliot Award for Creative Writing (1995)
- Nagroda Miasta Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
Herbert's works
Each year links to its corresponding "[year] in poetry" article, for poetry, or "[year] in literature" article for other works:
Poetry
- 1956
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* February 27—Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath meet in Cambridge...
: Struna światła ("Chord of Light"), Warsaw: Czytelnik
- 1957
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Howl obscenity trial in San Francisco brings significant attention to beat poetry, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg...
: Hermes, pies i gwiazda ("Hermes, Dog and Star"), Warsaw: Czytelnik
- 1961
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January 20–Robert Frost recites his poem "The Gift Outright" at United States President John F...
: Studium przedmiotu ("A Study of the Object"), Warsaw: Czytelnik
- 1969
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* FIELD magazine founded at Oberlin College...
: Napis ("Inscription"), Warsaw: Czytelnik
- 1974
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman....
: Pan Cogito ("Mr. Cogito"), Warsaw: Czytelnik
- 1983
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Frogmore Press founded by Andre Evans and Jeremy Page at the Frogmore tea-rooms in Folkestone...
: Raport z oblężonego Miasta i inne wiersze ("Report from the Besieged City and Other Poems"), Paris: Instytut Literacki
- 1990
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Allen Ginsberg crowned "Majelis King" in Prague on May Day...
: Elegia na odejście ("Elegy for the Departure"), Paris: Instytut Literacki
- 1992
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:The Forward Book of Poetry, an annual anthology of best British poems, is published for the first time by the Forward Poetry Trust. By 2003, the publication was selling 5,000 to 7,000 copies a year...
: Rovigo, Wrocław: Wydawnictwo DolnośląskieWydawnictwo Dolnośląskie is a publishing company founded in 1986 with cooperation with Bertelsmann Media.-External links:http://www.wd.wroc.pl/index.php?id=1http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&q=Wydawnictwa+dolnosl%C4%85skie+Bertelsmann 280k gh...
- 1998
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Samizdat poetry magazine founded in Chicago .* Skanky Possum poetry magazine founded in Austin, Texas....
: Epilog burzy ("Epilogue to a Storm"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie
- 1998
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Samizdat poetry magazine founded in Chicago .* Skanky Possum poetry magazine founded in Austin, Texas....
: 89 wierszy, ("89 Poems"), Kraków: a5
- 1999
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* July 1 — Scotland's Parliament opened with the singing of Robert Burns' "A Man's a Man For A'That", instead of "God Save The Queen"...
: Podwójny oddech. Prawdziwa historia nieskończonej miłości. Wiersze dotąd niepublikowane, Gdynia: Małgorzata Marchlewska Wydawnictwo (posthumous)
Essays, stories
- 1962
The year 1962 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*January 7 - In an article in the New York Times Book Review, Gore Vidal calls Evelyn Waugh "our time's first satirist."...
: Barbarzyńca w ogrodzie ("Barbarian in the Garden"), Warsaw: Czytelnik
- 1993
The year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
: Martwa natura z wędzidłem ("Still Life with Bridle"), Wrocław 1993. (Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie)
- 2000
The year 2000 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published...
: Labirynt nad morzem ("Labyrinth on the Sea-Shore"), Warsaw: Zeszyty Literackie (posthumous)
- 2001
The year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
: Król mrówek ("King of the Ants"), Kraków: Wydawnictwo a5 (posthumous)
- 2001
The year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
: Węzeł gordyjski oraz inne pisma rozproszone 1948-1998 ("The Gordian Knot and Other Scattered Writings"), P.Kądziela, Warsaw: Biblioteka ‘Więź’ (posthumous)
Drama
- 1956
The year 1956 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Writing under the pseudonym of Emile Ajar, author Romain Gary becomes the only person ever to win the Prix Goncourt twice.*Iris Murdoch marries John Bayley....
: 'Jaskinia filozofów' ("Cave of Philosophers"), TwórczośćTwórczość is a Polish monthly literary journal, first published in 1945. Since 1 April 2000, Twórczość has been published by the state-funded Book Institute ....
1956, # 9.
- 1958
The year 1958 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*August 18 - Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in United States.*First volume of The Civil War by Shelby Foote is published....
: 'Drugi pokój' ("The Other Room"), Dialog, # 4.
- 1960
The year 1960 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*November 2 – Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley's Lover case in the United Kingdom....
: 'Rekonstrukcja poety' ("The Reconstruction of the Poet"), Więzi, # 11/12.
- 1961
The year 1961 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*First English production of Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui*Michael Halliday publishes his seminal paper on the systemic functional grammar model....
: 'Lalek. Sztuka na głosy', Dialog, # 12.
- 1972
The year 1972 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Fiction:*Richard Adams - Watership Down*Jorge Amado - Teresa Batista Cansada da Guerra *Martin Amis - The Rachel Papers...
: 'Listy naszych czytelników' ("Letters From Our Reader"), Dialog, # 11.
- 'Dramaty' ("Drama"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie (posthumous)
Correspondence
- Listy do Muzy. Prawdziwa historia nieskończonej miłości, Gdynia 2000. (Małgorzata Marchlewska Wydawnictwo) (Without the permission of heiresses of the copyrights.)
- Kochane Zwierzątka...' Listy Zbigniewa Herberta do przyjaciół – Magdaleny i Zbigniewa
Zbigniew Czajkowski is a fencing coach. Czajkowski has been dubbed "Father of the Polish School" of fencing. He has been coach to many champions, including Egon Franke - the first Pole to earn an Olympic gold medal in fencing....
Czajkowskich, editor: Magdalena Czajkowska, Warsaw 2000 (Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy)
- Zbigniew Herbert. Jerzy Zawieyski
Jerzy Zawieyski, born Henryk Nowicki, was a Polish playwright, prose writer, Catholic political activist and amateur stage actor...
. Korespondencja 1949-1967, introduction: Jacek Łukasiewicz, choice and footnotes: Paweł Kądziela, Warsaw 2002 (Biblioteka ‘Więzi’)
- Zbigniew Herbert. Henryk Elzenberg. Korespondencja, editor: Barbara Toruńczyk, footnotes: Barbara Toruńczyk, Paweł Kądziela, [2002] (Fundacja Zeszytów Literackich)
- Zbigniew Herbert, Jerzy Turowicz
Jerzy Turowicz was a leading Polish Catholic journalist and editor for much of the post-Second World War period.He edited the Catholic weekly Tygodnik Powszechny from 1945 until his death in 1999, with only a three-year interruption beginning in 1953....
. Korespondencja, Kraków 2005 (wydawnictwo a5)
- Zbigniew Herbert, Stanisław Barańczak. Korespondencja, 2005 (Fundacja Zeszytów Literackich)
- Zbigniew Herbert, Czesław Miłosz. Korespondencja,2006 (Zeszyty Literackie)
Study
(in chronological order)
- Andrzej Kaliszewski, Pana Cogito, Kraków 1982, Łódź 1990.
- Stanisław Barańczak, Uciekinier z Utopii: o poezji Zbigniewa Herberta (A Fugitive from Utopia: The Poetry of Zbigniew Herbert), Londyn 1984.
- Włodzimierz Maciąg, O poezji Zbigniewa Herberta, Wrocław 1986.
- A.Baczewski, Szkice literackie. Asnyk. Konopnicka. Herbert, Rzeszów 1991.
- Jacek Brzozowski,Pan Cogito' Zbigniewa Herberta, Warszawa 1991.
- Andrzej Kaliszewski, Herbert, Warszawa 1991.
- Andrzej Kaliszewski, Zbigniew Herbert, Kraków 1993.
- Dlaczego Herbert. Wiersze i komentarze, Łódź 1992.
- Barbara Myrdzik, Poezja Zbigniewa Herberta w recepcji maturzystów, Lublin 1992.
- Czytanie Herberta, red. Przemysław Czapliński, Piotr Śliwiński, Maria Wiegandt, Poznań 1995.
- Jacek Łukasiewicz, Poezja Zbigniewa Herberta Warszawa 1995. (Biblioteka Analiz Literackich)
- Marek Adamiec, ...Pomnik trochę niezupełny...'. Rzecz o apokryfach i poezji Herberta, Gdańsk 1996.
- Danuta Opacka-Walasek, ...pozostać wiernym niepewnej jasności'. Wybrane problemy poezji Zbigniewa Herberta, Katowice 1996.
- Piotr Siemaszko, Zmienność i trwanie. (O eseistyce Zbigniewa Herberta), Bydgoszcz 1996.
- Andrzej Franaszek, Ciemne źródło (o twórczości Zbigniewa Herberta), Londyn 1998.
- Poznawanie Herberta, wybór i wstęp A.Franaszek, Tom 1 - Kraków 1998, Tom 2 - Kraków 2000.
- Herbert i znaki czasu. Tom I. Colloquia Herbertiana (I), red. Elżbieta Feliksiak, Mariusz Leś, Elżbieta Sidoruk, Białystok 2001.
- Julian Kornhauser, Uśmiech Sfinksa. O poezji Zbigniewa Herberta, Kraków 2001.
- Jacek Łukasiewicz, Herbert, Wrocław 2001. (Seria: A to Polska właśnie)
- Jadwiga Mizińska, Herbert Odyseusz, Lublin 2001.
- Danuta Opacka-Walasek, Czytając Herberta, Katowice 2001.
- Joanna Salamon, Czas Herberta albo na dom w Czarnolesie, Warszawa 2001.
- Twórczość Zbigniewa Herberta. Studia, red. Marzena Woźniak-Łabieniec, Jerzy Wiśniewski, Kraków 2001.
- Herbert. Poetyka, wartości i konteksty, red. Eugeniusz Czaplejewicz i Witold Sadowski, Warszawa 2002.
- Joanna Siedlecka, Pan od poezji. O Zbigniewie Herbercie, Warszawa 2002 (fragment)
- Bohdan Urbankowski, Poeta, czyli człowiek zwielokrotniony. Szkice o Zbigniewie Herbercie, Radom 2004
English translations
- Selected Poems, translators: Czesław Miłosz and Peter Dale Scott
Peter Dale Scott is a Canadian born, former English professor at the University of California, Berkeley, a former diplomat and a poet....
, with an introduction by Al AlvarezAl Alvarez is an English poet, writer and critic who publishes under the name A. Alvarez and Al Alvarez....
, Penguin Modern European Poets, 1968 reprinted by The Ecco Press in 1986.
- Barbarian in the Garden, translators: Michael March and Jarosław Anders, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1985
- Report From the Besieged City, translators: John Carpenter and Bogdana Carpenter, The Ecco Press, 1985.
- Still Life with a Bridle- Essays and Apocrypha, translators: John Carpenter and Bogdana Carpenter, The Ecco Press, 1991.
- Mr. Cogito, translators: John Carpenter and Bogdana Carpenter, The Ecco Press, 1993.
- Elegy for the Departure, translators: John Carpenter and Bogdana Carpenter, The Ecco Press, 1999.
- The King of the Ants, translators: John Carpenter and Bogdana Carpenter, The Ecco Press, 1999.
- The Collected Poems: 1956-1998, translators: Czesław Miłosz, Peter Dale Scott
Peter Dale Scott is a Canadian born, former English professor at the University of California, Berkeley, a former diplomat and a poet....
and Alissa Valles, edited by Alissa Valles, with an introduction by Adam ZagajewskiAdam Zagajewski is a Polish poet, novelist, translator and essayist.In 1982 he emigrated to Paris, but in 2002 he returned to Poland, and resides in Kraków. His poem "Try To Praise The Mutilated World", printed in The New Yorker, became famous after the 11 September attacks...
, The Ecco Press, 2007.
- Zbigniew Herbert, Selected Poems, translators: Czesław Miłosz, Peter Dale Scott
Peter Dale Scott is a Canadian born, former English professor at the University of California, Berkeley, a former diplomat and a poet....
, John and Bogdana Carpenter, selected by: Tomasz Kunz, afterword by: John and Bogdana Carpenter, Wydawnictwo Literackie, 2007.
- Polish Writers on Writing featuring Zbigniew Herbert. Edited by Adam Zagajewski
Adam Zagajewski is a Polish poet, novelist, translator and essayist.In 1982 he emigrated to Paris, but in 2002 he returned to Poland, and resides in Kraków. His poem "Try To Praise The Mutilated World", printed in The New Yorker, became famous after the 11 September attacks...
(Trinity University Press, 2007).
External links
- Herbert's Poems in English
- Audio discussion of Herbert's poems, and text of several of them
- Online Poetry Classroom - Zbigniew Herbert
- Collection of some online poems at Poemhunter
- 'From "Conversation on Writing Poetry: An Interview with Zbigniew Herbert"' by John and Bogdana Carpenter. The Manhattan Review, Volume 3, no. 2, Winter 1984/85 [Online text]
- Modern Polish Poetry: Zbigniew Herbert collection
- 'Mr. Cogito's Duels: A Conversation with Anna Poppek and Andrzej Gelberg' The Sarmatian Review, Volume XV, Number 2, April 1995 [Online text]
- 'A Letter to President Dzhokar Dudayev' The Sarmatian Review, Volume XV, Number 2, April 1995 [Online text]
- 'Making introductions: John Carpenter & Zbigniew Herbert' Artful Dodge, Issue 20/21, 1991 [essay on, and excerpts of, 'Dutch Apochrypha', online text]
- Poets, scholars, others discuss Zbigniew Herbert on "Words Without Borders" celebration of the "Year of Herbert"