while still a student. In her first two collections
of poetry, published in the early 1950s, she suc-
cumbed to the officially propagated stalinist line.
However, she strongly renounced these beliefs in
the next collection,Calling Out to Yeti, which
came out in 1957. The Abominable Snowman
from the title poem is commonly believed to
represent Joseph Stalin.
Since then, Szymborska has clearly moved
away from politics. She does not avoid ‘big
issues’ confronting the world, such as war or
racism, and her 1993 collectionThe End and the
Beginningis proof of this, but overall her poetry
is not political. She writes about everyday mat-
ters, feelings and frustrations with subtlety, sen-
sitivity and reflectiveness. Although famous for
her artistic detachment, she is never cold. That is
probably why her poetry is perceived by many
critics as very personal, while to others it is not
personal at all. The Swedish Academy praised
her writing for a ‘striking combination of esprit,
inventiveness and empathy, which calls to mind
both the Renaissance and the Baroque.’
Szymborska loves playing with words, using
old metaphors and fixed phrases in new contexts,
giving them a humorous and surprising meaning.
She often analyses ideas from an unexpected per-
spective. In the poem ‘‘Some Like Poetry,’’ for
example, she concentrates on the word ‘like’ and
questions its use when describing one’s attitude to
poetry [the text of the poem reads]:
Like—
but one also likes chicken soup with noodles,
one also likes compliments and the colour
blue,
one likes an old scarf,
one likes to prove oneself right,
one likes to pet a dog.
Such an ironic attitude is typical of many of
Szymborska’s poems, which try to provide new
answers to old questions. The Academy described
her as a poet who believes that ‘no questions are
of such significance as those that are naive.’
During martial law in Poland in the 1980s,
Szymborska published in the exile periodical
Kultura Paryskain Paris and in the underground
Arkain Poland under the pen-name Stanczy-
kowna. The name itself is quite significant.
Stanczyk, the prototype of the pseudonym, was
the most famous Polish jester. He made history
as the person who, while playing the clown,
could deliver the most bitter truth and whose
political wisdom was highly valued by the king,
Zygmunt Stary. There is certainly enough irony,
sadness and truth about life in Szymborska’s
writing to indicate why she chose Stanczyk as
her master.
Szymborska’s name is often mentioned
alongside the poets Zbigniew Herbert and
Tadeusz Rozewicz whom, she believes, deserve
recognition as much as she does. Neither of these
two poets, however, (even though Rozewicz
seems to be better known outside Poland than
Szymborska) has managed to appeal to such a
wide reading public. Szymborska’s poetry, while
often elusive, psychological, and metaphorical,
remains surprisingly clear and has a strong gen-
eral appeal.
Szymborska’s popularity equals that of the
late Polish poet Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzew-
ska. Szymborska, like Jasnorzewska, has always
been a household name. Her poems are on
school curricula, they are written on birthday
cards, and are sung by rock stars. Kora, a lead
singer from the group Manam, turned Szymbor-
ska’s 1980 poem ‘‘Nothing Twice’’ into a hit. The
same poem, translated into English by the Polish
poet Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh,
was the one most often quoted in press releases
after Szymborska’s award had been announced
[the text reads]:
With smiles and kisses, we prefer
to seek accord beneath our star,
although we’re different (we concur),
just as two drops of water are.
Szymborska’s selected poems were translated
into Swedish by Per Arne Bodin and Roger Fjel-
strom in 1980. It was, however, Anders Bod-
eglrd’s 1989 translation of her selected poems,
released under the titleUtopiawhich swung the
vote in her favour. Bodeglrd’s effort was highly
praised both by the Academy and by Szymborska
who herself translates French poetry.
Szymborska said in an interview that she
would donate her prize money of $1.12 million
to charity. The first announcement came before
Easter. She donated one hundred thousand dol-
lars to the fund managed by the former Social
Security Minister Jacek Kuron whom she greatly
admires for his social conscience.
Szymborska is a very private person. She
declines invitations to functions in her honour
and says that she hopes the Nobel Prize won’t
change her lifestyle. She wants to be left alone to
do what she does best: write poetry.Some People Like Poetry