JULIAN PRZYBOŚ AND POLISH-SLAVONIC LITERARY TIES

Abstract

Julian Przyboś is an outstanding 20th-century Polish poet. He made his debut in the interwar period. During that time, he became a member of the Cracow Avant-garde, collaborated with Tadeusz Peiper and Władysław Strzemiński. He followed the avant-garde program City, Mass, Machine; he praised human work; he was a nature enthusiast (born in a peasant family, he admired the dormant vitality of nature). He was held in high esteem after the Second World War. Although he didn’t abide by the rules of socialist realism, he was held in respect by the communist authorities. Julian Przyboś’s Slavic contacts call for a thorough examination. We know which poems he translated and into which languages his poetry was rendered. He most definitely chose those poems, which he wanted to translate himself. Did he have any control over the translation of a particular poem of his? He had voluminous correspondence with other poets and translators that remains scattered and kept in different archives awaiting to be analyzed. Perhaps this research will not only show the poet, but also the Polish-Slavonic literary ties in a new light.