Miron Białoszewski

Grave of Miron Białoszewski at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.

Miron Białoszewski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmirɔn bjawɔˈʂɛfskʲi]; June 30, 1922 – June 17, 1983), born in Warsaw, Poland, was a Polish poet, novelist, playwright and actor.

According to Joanna Nizynska from University of California in Los Angeles:

This most "private" author of postwar Polish literature disregards discourses of history so deeply embedded in the Polish literary tradition; rather he focuses on the mundane aspects of the everyday life, usually from an autobiographical perspective and using an overtly colloquial language. Although Białoszewski's works have stirred many discussions, most of these have focused on his treatment of genres and language...

Biography

Białoszewski studied linguistics at the clandestine courses of the University of Warsaw during the German occupation of Poland. Following the capitulation of the Warsaw Uprising he was sent to a labour camp in Third Reich, and returned to Warsaw at the end of World War II.

First, he worked at the central post office, and then as a journalist for a number of popular magazines, some of them for children. In 1955 Białoszewski took part in the foundation of a small theatre called Teatr na Tarczyńskiej, where he premiered his plays Wiwisekcja and Osmędeusze, and acted in them with Ludmiła Murawska. In the same year Białoszewski debuted in Życie literackie along with another renowned Polish poet and his contemporary, Zbigniew Herbert. For many years, Białoszewski shared an apartment at pl. Dąbrowskiego 7 with his live-in partner, the painter Leszek Soliński.

His highly acclaimed memoir, Pamiętnik z powstania warszawskiego was published in 1970. In it, Białoszewski gave a philosophical account of his wartime experiences 27 years after the fact. He died of a heart attack on June 17, 1983.

Works

The number given between square brackets after each book title and year of publication refers to the volume of Białoszewski's Collected Works (Utwory zebrane, Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy 1987 - ) in which the texts published originally in these books have been reprinted.

Poetry

• Obroty rzeczy (1956) [1]
• Rachunek zachciankowy (1959) [1]
• Mylne wzruszenia (1961) [1]
• Było i było (1965) [1]
• Wiersze (1976) [7]
• Poezje wybrane (1976) [7]
• Miron Białoszewski [in the series Poeci Polscy ] (1977) [7]
• Odczepić się (1978) [7]
• Wiersze wybrane i dobrane (1980) [7]
• Trzydzieści lat wierszy (1982) [7]
• Oho (1985) [10]

Poetry and Prose

• Teatr Osobny (1973) [2]
• Rozkurz (1980) [8]
• Stara proza i nowe wiersze (1984) [9, 10]
• Obmapywanie Europy. Aaameryka. Ostatnie wiersze (1988 – posthumously) [9, 10]

Prose

• Pamiętnik z powstania warszawskiego) (1970) [3]
  English translation by Madeline Levine: A Memoir of the Warsaw Uprising (1977, 1991)
• Donosy rzeczywistości (1973) [4]
• Szumy, zlepy, ciągi (1976) [5]
• Zawał (1977) [6]
• Przepowiadanie sobie (1981) [9]
• Konstancin (1991 – posthumously) [9]

External Links in English

• Polish Literature in English Translation: Miron Białoszewski
• Miron Białoszewski at Culture.pl
• Miron Białoszewski - The Shaman With a Tape Recorder at Culture.pl