Jacek Maria Dehnel (born 1 May 1980 in

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

) is a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

poet, writer, translator and painter.

Life and work

He graduated from the

Stefan Żeromski Stefan Żeromski ( ; 14 October 1864 – 20 November 1925) was a Polish novelist and dramatist belonging to the Young Poland movement at the turn of the 20th century. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under t ...

High School No. 5 in

, where he excelled in

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

. Dehnel studied at the University of Warsaw's College of Inter-Area Individual Studies In the Humanities and Social Sciences (

: ''Kolegium Międzyobszarowych Indywidualnych Studiów Humanistycznych i Społecznych'') and graduated from the Faculty of

Polish Language Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...

and

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, where he obtained a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(M.A.) degree, writing a thesis on Stanisław Barańczak's translations of Philip Larkin's works. His first collection of poems was the last book recommended by Polish Nobel Prize Laureate,

Czesław Miłosz Czesław Miłosz (, also , ; 30 June 1911 – 14 August 2004) was a Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. Regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century, he won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. In its citation ...

. Dehnel has published his poems in various literary magazines, including ''Kwartalnik Artystyczny'', ''Studium'', ''Przegląd Artystyczno-Literacki'', ''Topos'', ''Tytuł'', ''Undergrunt''. He also works for an internet literary portal Nieszuflada. Between September 2006 and July 2009, he was a co-host of cultural programme ''ŁOSssKOT'' broadcast on

TVP1 TVP1 (TVP Jeden, ''Program I Telewizji Polskiej'', ''"Jedynka"'') is the main public television channel of TVP (Telewizja Polska S.A.), Poland's national television broadcaster. It was the first Polish channel to be broadcast and remains one ...

(together with musician Tymon Tymański and journalist Maciej Chmiel). Dehnel has translated poetry of such poets as

Osip Mandelshtam Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam ( rus, Осип Эмильевич Мандельштам, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈmʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian Empire, Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet poet. He was one of t ...

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

Mary Oliver Mary Jane Oliver (September 10, 1935 – January 17, 2019) was an American poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her work is inspired by nature, rather than the human world, stemming from her lifelong passion for solitary ...

– unpublished, and

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (1 ...

George Szirtes George Szirtes (; born 29 November 1948) is a British poet and translator from the Hungarian language into English. Originally from Hungary, he has lived in the United Kingdom for most of his life after coming to the country as a refugee at the ...

– published. He has also rendered in Polish lyrics for songs by

Ástor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...

. He has been awarded literary prizes that include the Kościelski Award in 2005, the

Paszport Polityki Paszport Polityki (Polityka's Passport) is an annual Polish cultural award presented by the weekly magazine ''Polityka'' since 1993. It is presented in six major categories: literature, film, theatre, classical music, popular music, visual arts ...

in 2007 and the cultural award of the city of

''Splendor Gedanesis'' in 2009. He received five nominations for Poland's most prestigious literary prize – the

Nike Award The Nike Literary Award ( pl, Nagroda Literacka „Nike") is a literary prize awarded each year for the best book of a single living author writing in Polish and published the previous year. It is widely considered the most important award for ...

: ''Balzakian'' (2009), ''Ekran kontrolny'' (2010), ''Saturn'' (2012); ''Matka Makryna'' (2015) and ''Krivoklat'' (2017) as well as two nominations for the

Angelus Award The Angelus Central European Literature Award also known as Angelus Award (Polish: ''Nagroda Literacka Europy Środkowej Angelus'') is a Polish international literary award established in 2006 and presented by the city of Wrocław, Lower Silesia ...

for ''Lala'' (2007) and ''Saturn'' (2012) and the 2014

Wisława Szymborska Award The Wisława Szymborska Award is a Polish annual international literature prize presented by the Wisława Szymborska Foundation. It was established in 2013, and was named in honour of the Nobel Prize-winning poet Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012). ...

for his book of poems ''Języki obce'' ("Foreign Languages"). In 2015, he was awarded Bronze

Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

. In 2017, he co-wrote the screenplay to the award-winning

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

animated

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

Loving Vincent ''Loving Vincent'' ( pl, Twój Vincent) is a 2017 experimental adult animated biographical drama film about the life of the painter Vincent van Gogh, and, in particular, about the circumstances of his death. It is the first fully painted animat ...

'' about the life of painter

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...

, and in particular, the circumstances of his death.

Personal life

He lived and worked in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, from March 2020 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. He openly identifies as gay, which is reflected in his literary works. In 2018, he married his long-term partner, translator and historian Piotr Tarczynski, in

Wandsworth Town Hall Wandsworth Town Hall is a municipal building on the corner of Wandsworth High Street and Fairfield Street in Wandsworth, London. The building, which is the headquarters of Wandsworth London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. Histo ...

in London. Dehnel and his partner publish works under the female pseudonym Maryla Szymiczkowa. In 2019, he undertook

apostasy Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that i ...

. Dehnel and Tarczynski left Warsaw for Berlin in 2021.

Books

Prose

*''Kolekcja'' ("The Collection"), (a collection of short stories), Marpress,

, 1999 *''Rynek w Smyrnie'', (a collection of short stories), W.A.B.,

, 2007 *''Lala'', (a novel), W.A.B.,

, 2006 ** ''Lala.'' Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Oneworld Publications, London 2018, About the book
on oneworld-publications.com. *''Balzakiana'',(a collection of four mininovels) W.A.B.,

, 2008 *''Saturn. Czarne obrazy z życia mężczyzn z rodziny Goya'', W.A.B.,

(English translation by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, published by Dedalus Books in 2013), 2011 *''Kosmografia, czyli trzydzieści apokryfów tułaczych'', accompanying an exhibition of 15th-century maps in the Warsaw National Library, Biblioteka Narodowa,

(a collection of short stories), 2012 *''Młodszy księgowy'', (a collection of columns on books and reading), W.A.B.,

, 2013 *''Matka Makryna'' ("Mother Makryna"), W.A.B, 2014 *''Tajemnica domu Helclów'', (co-written with his partner Piotr Tarczyński), Znak literanova, 2015 *''Dziennik Roku Chrystusowego'', W.A.B., 2015 *''Nowy Tajny Detektyw'', NCK and Fundacja Picture Doc, 2015 *''Proteusz, czyli o przemianach. Spacerownik po historii Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie'', Serenissima,

, 2015 *''Krivoklat'', Znak, 2016 *''Rozdarta zasłona'', (co-written with Piotr Tarczyński) Społeczny Instytut Wydawniczy Znak, 2016 *''Mrs Mohr Goes Missing'', (co-written with Piotr Tarczyński and translated by Antonia Lloyd Jones) Bloomsbury, 2019

Poetry

*''Żywoty równoległe'' ("The Parallel Lives"), Zielona Sowa,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, 2004 *''Wyprawa na południe'' ("An Expedition Southwards"), Teatr Mały w Tychach,

Tychy Tychy (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Tichau; szl, Tychy) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city boders Katowice to the north, ...

, 2005 *''Wiersze'' ("Poems"), Lampa i Iskra Boża,

, 2006 *''Brzytwa okamgnienia'', Biuro Literackie,

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

, 2007 *''Ekran kontrolny'', Biuro Literackie,

, 2009 *''Rubryki strat i zysków'', Biuro Literackie,

, 2011 *''Języki obce'' ("Foreign Languages"), Biuro Literackie,

, 2013 *''Seria w ciemność'', Biuro Literackie,

, 2016 * ''Najdziwniejsze'' (The strangest), Wrocław, Biuro Literackie, 2019 * ''Bruma'', Cracow, Wydawnictwo a5, 2022

Translations

''Zebrane'' (Collected:

The Less Deceived ''The Less Deceived'', first published in 1955, was Philip Larkin's first mature collection of poetry, having been preceded by the derivative ''North Ship'' (1945) from The Fortune Press and a privately printed collection, a small pamphlet titl ...

, The Whitsun Weddings and High Windows), Biuro Literackie,

, 2008 *

Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (born 1940) is an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer and an essayist on literary and social topics. Since 1999 he has been a professor at Princeton University. France made him (and later ) de l'Ordr ...

''Hotel de Dream'', Biuro Literackie,

(with Piotr Tarczyński), 2012 *

Francis Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...

''Wielki Gatsby'' (

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts First-person narrative, first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious mil ...

), Znak,

, 2013

Other

*''Six Polish Poets'' (as a poet and as an editor), 2009. Arc Publications, London. *''Il vetro è sottile. Poeti polacchi contemporanei tradotti da poeti'' (as a poet and editor with Matteo Campagnoli), 2012. Bellinzona, Casagrande.

References

External links

Home pageNieszufladaJacek Dehnel
at Culture.pl *
Works of Jacek Dehnel
o
Polona.pl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dehnel, Jacek 1980 births Living people LGBT writers from Poland LGBT artists from Poland Gay writers Gay artists Polish male poets Polish male painters Writers from Gdańsk