Adam Zagajewski

Adam Zagajewski
Adam Zagajewski
	Adam Zagajewski in 2014
Born	21 June 1945; Lwów,Poland
Died	21 March 2021(aged 75); Kraków,Poland
Occupation	Poet; essayist; translator;
Nationality	Polish
Alma mater	Jagiellonian University
Notable works	Unseen Hand; Another Beauty; Słuch absolutny; Asymetria;
Notable awards	Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath(2018); Princess of Asturias Award(2017); Griffin Lifetime Recognition Award(2016); Heinrich Mann Prize(2015); Neustadt International Prize for Literature(2004); Vilenica Prize(1996); Kościelski Award(1975);

Adam Zagajewski(21 June 1945 – 21 March 2021) was a Polishpoet,novelist,translator,andessayist.

He was awarded the 2004Neustadt International Prize for Literature,the 2016Griffin Poetry PrizeLifetime Recognition Award, the 2017Princess of Asturias Awardfor Literature, and the 2018 Golden Wreath of Poetry at theStruga Poetry Evenings.

He was considered a leading poet of the Generation of '68, or Polish New Wave (Polish:Nowa fala), and one of Poland's most prominentcontemporary poets.^[1]

Biography[edit]

Adam Zagajewski was born in 1945 inLwów(now Lviv, Ukraine). His father wasTadeusz Zagajewskiand his mother was Ludwika Zagajewska,néeTurska. The Zagajewski family wasexpelled from Lwówto central Poland the same year as part of Soviet post-World War II policy. They moved to the city ofGliwicewhere he graduated from Andrzej Strug V High School (V Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Andrzeja Struga). Subsequently, he studiedpsychologyandphilosophyat theJagiellonian UniversityinKraków.He later taught philosophy at theAGH University of Science and Technology.In 1967, he made his poetic debut withMusic,a poem published inŻycie Literackiemagazine. He published his works as well as reviews in such magazines asOdra(1969–1976) andTwórczość(1969, 1971–1973).^[2]During this time, he became involved in theNew Wave(Nowa fala) literary movement also known as the Generation of '68'. The aim of the group was "standing up against the falsifications of reality and the appropriation of language by communist ideology and propaganda".^[3]After signing theLetter of 59his works were banned bycommunistauthorities in Poland. In 1978, he was one of the founders and first lecturers of the Scientific Training Association. In 1982, he emigrated toParis,but in 2002 he returned to Poland together with his wife Maja Wodecka, and resided inKraków.He was a member of thePolish Writers' Association.^[4]

His literary works have received international recognition and have been translated into many languages.^[2]Joachim T. Baer, a reviewer fromWorld Literature Todaypointed out that the recurring themes in Zagajewski's poetry include "the night, dreams, history and time, infinity and eternity, silence and death."^[5]Colm Tóibínnotes that in his best poems "he has succeeded in making the space of the imagination connect with experience; things seen and heard and remembered in all their limits and sorrow and relished joy have the same power for him as things conjured."^[6]American poetRobert Pinskyobserves that Zagajewski's poems are "about the presence of the past in ordinary life: history not as a chronicle of the dead… but as an immense, sometimes subtle force inhering in what people see and feel every day – and in the ways we see and feel". His poem"Try To Praise The Mutilated World"became famous when it was printed inThe New Yorkershortly after theSeptember 11 attacks.^[7]^[8]

Zagajewski used to teach poetry workshops as a visiting lecturer at the School of Literature and Arts at theJagiellonian Universityin Kraków as well as acreative writingcourse at theUniversity of Houstonin the United States. He was a faculty member at theUniversity of Chicagoand a member of itsCommittee on Social Thought.He taught two classes, one of which is on fellow Polish poetCzeslaw Milosz.Commenting on the occasion of his death,Olga Tokarczukremarked that he was an appreciated teacher of poetry.^[8]

Zagajewski died on 21 March 2021 at the age of 75 inKrakow.^[9]^[10]

Awards[edit]

He was awarded the BronzeCross of Merit,and twice received the Officer's Cross of theOrder of Polonia Restituta.In 1992, he received aGuggenheim Fellowship.He won the 2004Neustadt International Prize for Literature,considered a forerunner to the Nobel Prize in Literature, and is the second Polish writer to be awarded, afterCzeslaw Milosz.^[11]^[12] In 2015 he received theHeinrich Mann Prize.In May 2016 he was awarded the Dr. Leopold Lucas Prize of theUniversity of Tübingen.^[13]In the same year he received the Order ofLegion d'Honneurand theJanus Pannonius Grand Prize for Poetry[hu](award of the Hungarian PEN Club) as well. In 2017 he was awarded The Princess of Asturias Award, "one of the most important awards in the Spanish-speaking world."^[14]In 2018 his collection of essays,Poezja dla początkujących(Poetry for Beginners), was nominated for theNike Award,Poland's top literary honor.^[15]In 2019, Zagajewski was awardedPour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts.^[16]In his lifetime, he was frequently mentioned as a potentialNobel Prizelaureate.^[8]

Bibliography[edit]

Collections[edit]

Poetry[edit]

Komunikat.Kraków, 1972.ISBN 978-606-711-947-3
Sklepy mięsne.Kraków, 1975.ISBN 978-606-711-947-3
List. Oda do wielkości.Paris, 1983.ISBN 978-2-7168-0030-3
Jechać do Lwowa.London, 1985.ISBN 978-0-906601-25-9
Plótno.Paris, 1990.ISBN 978-2-906253-07-0
Ziemia ognista.Poznan, 1994.ISBN 978-83-85568-09-4
Trzej aniołowie / Three Angels.Kraków, 1998 (bilingual edition of selected poems).ISBN 978-83-08-02780-6
Pragnienie.Kraków, 1999.ISBN 978-83-85568-43-8
Powrót.Kraków, 2003.ISBN 978-83-240-0339-6
Anteny.Kraków, 2005.ISBN 978-83-85568-75-9
Unseen Hand(Niewidzialna reka). Kraków, 2009.ISBN 978-83-240-1246-6
Wiersze wybrane.Kraków, 2010.ISBN 978-83-61298-68-7
Asymetria.Kraków, 2014.ISBN 978-83-61298-76-2
Lotnisko w Amsterdamie / Airport in Amsterdam.Kraków, 2016 (bilingual edition of selected poems).ISBN 978-83-61298-92-2
Prawdziwe życie.Kraków, 2019.ISBN 978-83-65614-25-4

Prose[edit]

Ciepło, zimno.Warszawa, 1975.OCLC 454835659
Słuch absolutny.Kraków, 1979.OCLC 1036346563
Cienka kreska.Kraków, 1983.ISBN 978-83-7006-088-6

Essays[edit]

Świat nieprzedstawiony.Kraków, 1974.OCLC 69284381
Drugi oddech.Kraków, 1978.OCLC 5403843
Solidarność i samotność."Zeszyty literackie", 1986.ISBN 978-83-917979-0-7
Dwa miasta.Paryż-Kraków, 1991.ISBN 978-83-85158-33-2
Another Beauty(W cudzym pięknie). Poznań, 1998.ISBN 978-83-85568-94-0
Obrona żarliwosci.Kraków, 2002.ISBN 978-83-85568-57-5
Poeta rozmawia z filozofem.Warszawa, 2007.ISBN 978-83-60046-85-2
Lekka przesada.Kraków, 2011.ISBN 978-83-61298-29-8
Poezja dla początkujących.Warszawa, 2017.ISBN 978-83-64648-57-1
Substancja nieuporządkowana.Kraków, 2019.ISBN 978-83-240-5869-3

Books in English translation[edit]

Poetry[edit]

TremorTranslator Renata Gorczynski, Collins Harvill, 1987ISBN 978-0-00-271910-0
CanvasTranslators Renata Gorczynski, Benjamin Ivry, C. K. Williams, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994,ISBN 978-0-374-52398-5
Mysticism for Beginners: Poems.Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 15 April 1999.ISBN 978-0-374-52687-0.
Without End: New and Selected Poems.Translated by Clare Cavanagh. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 18 March 2003.ISBN 978-0-374-52861-4.
Selected Poems,Translator Clare Cavanagh, Faber & Faber, 2004,ISBN 978-0-571-22425-8
Eternal Enemies: Poems.Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 28 October 2014.ISBN 978-1-4668-8424-3.
Unseen Hand: Poems(2011)ISBN 978-0-374-53336-6
Asymmetry: Poems.Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 20 November 2018.ISBN 978-0-374-10647-8.
True Life,Translator Clare Cavanagh, 2023, Farrar, Straus and GirouxISBN 978-0-374-60156-0

Essays[edit]

Solidarity, Solitude,Ecco Press, 1990,ISBN 978-0-88001-186-0
Two Cities: On Exile, History, and the Imagination.University of Georgia Press. 1995.ISBN 978-0-8203-2409-8.
Another Beauty.University of Georgia Press. 2002.ISBN 978-0-8203-2410-4.
A Defense of Ardor: Essays.Translated by Clare Cavanagh. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 28 October 2014.ISBN 978-1-4668-8423-6.
Slight Exaggeration: An Essay.Trans. Clare Cavanagh. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 4 April 2017.ISBN 978-0-374-26587-8.

Edited[edit]

Polish Writers on Writing(Trinity University Press,2007)

Critical studies and reviews[edit]

Carpenter, Bogdana (2005). "A Tribute to Adam Zagajewski".World Literature Today.79(2): 14–15.ISSN 0196-3570.JSTOR 40158662.
Cavanagh, Clare (2005). "Lyric and Public: The Case of Adam Zagajewski".World Literature Today.79(2): 16–19.doi:10.2307/40158663.ISSN 0196-3570.JSTOR 40158663.
Kay, Magdalena (2005). "Place and Imagination in the Poetry of Adam Zagajewski".World Literature Today.79(2): 20–22.doi:10.2307/40158664.ISSN 0196-3570.JSTOR 40158664.
Kay, Magdalena (2012).Knowing One's Place in Contemporary Irish and Polish Poetry: Zagajewski, Mahon, Heaney, Hartwig.New York: Continuum.ISBN 978-1-62356-281-6.
Krivak, Andrew (9 May 2003). "The Language of Redemption: The Catholic Poets Adam Zagajewski, Marie Ponsot & Lawrence Joseph".Commonweal.130(9): 12–14.ISSN 0010-3330..
Shallcross, Bozena (2002).Through the Poet's Eye: The Travels of Zagajewski, Herbert, and Brodsky.Evanston: Northwestern University Press.ISBN 978-0-8101-1837-9.

References[edit]

^"Adam Zagajewski – Poet".Retrieved23 March2019.
^^a ^b"Adam zagajewski".Retrieved26 March2018.
^"Adam Zagajewski".Archived fromthe originalon 28 December 2016.Retrieved26 March2018.
^Koziński, Remigiusz (22 March 2021)."Odszedł esteta, eseista, poeta. Kilka słów o Adamie Zagajewskim".Lubimy Czytać(in Polish).Retrieved24 March2021.
^"Adam Zagajewski".Retrieved26 March2018.
^Colm Tóibín (30 April 2004)."Lvov Story".Retrieved26 March2018.
^Adam Zagajewski (17 September 2001)."Try to Praise the Mutilated World".The New Yorker.Condé Nast.Retrieved23 March2021.
^^a ^b ^cScislowska, Monika (22 March 2021)."Acclaimed Polish poet Adam Zagajewski dies at age 75".Associated Press.Retrieved31 October2022.
^Viatteau, Michel (21 March 2021)."Adam Zagajewski: Poland's unassuming 'poet of 9/11'".Agence France-Presse.Archived fromthe originalon 22 March 2021.Retrieved21 March2021.
^"Acclaimed Polish poet Adam Zagajewski dies at age 75 - ABC News".ABC News.
^"2004 Neustadt Prize Laureate – Adam Zagajewski".World Literature Today.2005.Retrieved26 March2018.
^"Polish poet awarded 2004 Neustadt prize".The Oklahoma Daily.27 October 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2013.Retrieved2 November2013.
^"Leopold Lucas-Preis 2016 geht an Adam Zagajewski"(in German).University of Tübingen.31 May 2016.Retrieved26 March2018.
^"Adam Zagajewski with the Princess of Asturias literary award: Kraków Miasto Literatury UNESCO".krakowcityofliterature.8 June 2017.Retrieved4 September2018.
^"Wyborcza.pl".wyborcza.pl.Retrieved4 September2018.
^"Orden Pour le mérite wählt neue Mitglieder".bundesregierung.de(in German). Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung. 2019.Retrieved3 August2019.

External links[edit]

[1] "Adam Zagajewski – Poet".Retrieved23 March2019.

[culture-2] "Adam zagajewski".Retrieved26 March2018.

[3] "Adam Zagajewski".Archived fromthe originalon 28 December 2016.Retrieved26 March2018.

[4] Koziński, Remigiusz (22 March 2021)."Odszedł esteta, eseista, poeta. Kilka słów o Adamie Zagajewskim".Lubimy Czytać(in Polish).Retrieved24 March2021.

[5] "Adam Zagajewski".Retrieved26 March2018.

[6] Colm Tóibín (30 April 2004)."Lvov Story".Retrieved26 March2018.

[7] Adam Zagajewski (17 September 2001)."Try to Praise the Mutilated World".The New Yorker.Condé Nast.Retrieved23 March2021.

[nobel-8] Scislowska, Monika (22 March 2021)."Acclaimed Polish poet Adam Zagajewski dies at age 75".Associated Press.Retrieved31 October2022.

[Death-9] Viatteau, Michel (21 March 2021)."Adam Zagajewski: Poland's unassuming 'poet of 9/11'".Agence France-Presse.Archived fromthe originalon 22 March 2021.Retrieved21 March2021.

[10] "Acclaimed Polish poet Adam Zagajewski dies at age 75 - ABC News".ABC News.

[11] "2004 Neustadt Prize Laureate – Adam Zagajewski".World Literature Today.2005.Retrieved26 March2018.

[12] "Polish poet awarded 2004 Neustadt prize".The Oklahoma Daily.27 October 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2013.Retrieved2 November2013.

[13] "Leopold Lucas-Preis 2016 geht an Adam Zagajewski"(in German).University of Tübingen.31 May 2016.Retrieved26 March2018.

[14] "Adam Zagajewski with the Princess of Asturias literary award: Kraków Miasto Literatury UNESCO".krakowcityofliterature.8 June 2017.Retrieved4 September2018.

[15] "Wyborcza.pl".wyborcza.pl.Retrieved4 September2018.

[16] "Orden Pour le mérite wählt neue Mitglieder".bundesregierung.de(in German). Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung. 2019.Retrieved3 August2019.

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Biography[edit]

Awards[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

Collections[edit]

Poetry[edit]

Prose[edit]

Essays[edit]

Books in English translation[edit]

Poetry[edit]

Essays[edit]

Edited[edit]

Critical studies and reviews[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]