Tadeusz Różewicz (9 October 1921 – 24 April 2014) was a Polish poet, playwright, writer, and translator. Różewicz was in the first generation of Polish writers born after Poland regained its independence in 1918, following the century of foreign partitions. He was born in

Radomsko Radomsko is a city in southern Poland with 44,700 inhabitants (2021). It is situated on the Radomka river in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the county sea ...

, near

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of ca ...

, in 1921. He first published his poetry in 1938. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he served in the Polish underground Home Army. His elder brother, Janusz, also a poet, was executed by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

in 1944 for serving in the Polish resistance movement. His younger brother, Stanisław, became a noted film director and screenwriter.

Biography and career

Tadeusz Różewicz was the son of Władysław and Stefania Różewicz (née Gelbard, a Jewish convert to Catholicism). After finishing high school, Różewicz enrolled at

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University ( Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

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

. He then served in

. After the war, he moved to

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capi ...

, where he lived for the following two years. In 1968, he moved to

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, r ...

, where he lived for the rest of his life. Różewicz wrote and published fifteen volumes of poetry between 1944 and 1960.

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, ...

wrote a poem dedicated to Różewicz and his poetry in 1948. Różewicz's debut as a playwright was in 1960, with ''The Card Index'' (''Kartoteka''). He wrote over a dozen plays and several screenplays. His dramaturgical work continued to be accompanied by volumes of poetry and prose. Some of Różewicz's best known plays, other than ''The Card Index,'' include: ''The Interrupted Act'' (''Akt przerywany'', 1970), ''Birth Certificate'' (''Świadectwo urodzenia'', screenplay to an award-winning film by the same title, 1961), ''Left Home'' (''Wyszedł z domu'', 1965), and ''The White Wedding'' (''Białe małżeństwo'', 1975). His ''New Poems'' collection was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2008. Różewicz's works have been translated into nearly all major languages.Tadeusz Różewicz
The Polish Book Institute 2014. Two of his plays were translated into English and produced at

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

in New York City during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1965, Karen Cross and Johan Holm directed a series of Różewicz's three short plays, collectively titled ''The Witnesses''. A ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' review of the production reads: The first play, the most abstract, is a string of metaphors meant... to convey a view of man's condition... The second play presents a young married couple at breakfast planning their day. They work very hard at it, as if a night of sleep cuts them off drastically from life and contact must be reestablished. By means of a forced calm, a dedicated attention to trivia, and a patronizing attitude toward other people, they organize the day's activity... The key to the piece is the husband's matter-of-fact account, as he watches at the window, or two children tormenting and then destroying a kitten... The children quite coldly mutilate and murder the animal and the husband blandly but not indifferently reports the event to his wife who isn't listening. In the third play two men facing in opposite directions have a conversation of sorts. Constantly demanding attention of each other, they deliver up monologues of self-revelation which reveal next to nothing and on top of it are not being listened to. Through it all an injured dog suffers an elaborate death agony at the feet of one of the men, whose only response is to intersperse his fatuous self-revelations with bulletins on the progress of the dog's demise." In 1972, Mavis Taylor directed a production of Różewicz's ''The Old Woman Broods''. The piece was partially funded by the

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell MacNeil Mitc ...

and was performed at the College of White Plains, Hudson River Museum, and

Community Action Program In the United States and its territories, Community Action Agencies (CAA) are local private and public non-profit organizations that carry out the Community Action Program (CAP), which was founded by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act to fight po ...

Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of ...

in addition to La MaMa's theatre in the

East Village, Manhattan The East Village is a neighborhood on the East Side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is roughly defined as the area east of the Bowery and Third Avenue, between 14th Street on the north and Houston Street on the south. The East Village ...

. Różewicz has been regarded as "one of the most versatile and creative continuators of the Polish and international

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

". He was a member of the

Polish Writers' Union The Polish Writers' Union or the Union of Polish Writers ( pl, Związek Literatów Polskich, ZLP) was established at a meeting of Polish writers and activists in Lublin behind the Soviet front line, during the liberation of Poland by the Red Army ...

and was nominated multiple times for the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

. In 1987, he received the Golden Wreath at the Struga Poetry Evenings festival in

Struga Struga ( mk, Струга , sq, Strugë) is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of North Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality. Name The n ...

, Macedonia. In 2000, Różewicz received Poland's top 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 fo ...

, for his book ''Matka odchodzi'' (''Mother Is Leaving''). Różewicz died in

from natural causes on 24 April 2014 from. He was 92.Zmarł Tadeusz Różewicz (Tadeusz Różewicz passed away)
24 kwietnia 2014, Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Awards and decorations

* 1948 – Army Medal for War 1939-45 * 1955 –

Gold Cross of Merit The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was awa ...

* 1955 – State Prize, 2nd class * 1966 – State Prize, 1st class * 1974 –

Home Army Cross The Cross of the Home Army ( pl, Krzyż Armii Krajowej) is a Polish military decoration that was introduced by General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski on 1 August 1966 to commemorate the efforts of the soldiers of the Polish Secret State between 1939 and ...

* 1974 –

Polish Army Medal The Polish Army Medal ( pl, Medal Wojska Polskiego) was established by Poland on 3 September 1999 to recognize service to the Polish Army by foreign civilians and military personnel. The medal is presented in three grades Gold, Silver, and Bronze b ...

* 1977 –

Order of the Banner of Work The Order of the Banner of Labor ( pl, Order Sztandaru Pracy) was a governmental award in Poland during the 20th-century era of the Polish People's Republic, a former Marxist-Leninist state. The order was established by the Sejm (a chamber of th ...

, 2nd class; for his entire literary work * 1981 –

Operation Tempest file:Akcja_burza_1944.png, 210px, right Operation Tempest ( pl, akcja „Burza”, sometimes referred to in English as "Operation Storm") was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II against occupying German forces by the Polish Home ...

medal * 1982 –

Austrian State Prize for European Literature The Austrian State Prize for European Literature (german: Österreichischer Staatspreis für Europäische Literatur), also known in Austria as the European Literary Award (''Europäischer Literaturpreis''), is an Austria Austria, , bar, Ö ...

* 1987 – Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath * 1991 – Honorary degree from the

University of Wroclaw A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

* 1996 – Grand Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievemen ...

* 1997 – Golden Ball award * 1997 – Polish PEN Club award (Jan Parandowski) * 1999 – Honorary degree from the University of Silesia * 2000 – Order Ecce Homo: Polish church decoration awarded by the Chapter of the Order of the Ecce Homo, "by exploring the dark side of a world full of chaos and divisions, the hope of beating the assessment everyday, seemingly impassive gray, for coming to terms with the inevitability and consistency in the pursuit of the truth about man, even worst"; for poetry that "touches the hearts and stuff". * 2000 – Honorary doctorate from the University of Opole * 2000 – Honorary degree from the

* 2000 –

(Polish literary award) * 2001 – Honorary degree from the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

* 2006 – Honorary doctorate from the University of Gdansk * 2006 – Golden Sceptre award * 2007 – Honorary degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw * 2007 –

European Prize for Literature European Prize for Literature (Prix Européen de Littérature) is a European-wide literary award sponsored by the city of Strasbourg with support from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (France).Laurel Award The Laurel Awards was an American cinema awards system established to honor films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the e ...

in poetry * 2009 –

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 ...

* 2009 – Honorary degree from the

Jan Kochanowski University Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce ''( pl, Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach)'', formerly the Holy Cross Academy ''( pl, Akademia Świętokrzyska)'' and the Jan Kochanowski University of Humanities and Sciences ''( pl, Uniwersytet Huma ...

Kielce Kielce (, yi, קעלץ, Keltz) is a city in southern Poland, and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the bank ...

* 2011 – Policy Wizard special Culture 2010 award – "Award for the fidelity of poetry and themselves. Certificate data for several subsequent epochs and questions that included the Polish literature and theater in the European debate on the most important experiences of modern man". * 2012 –

Griffin Poetry Prize The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. ...

international shortlist for ''Sobbing Superpower: Selected Poems of Tadeusz Różewicz (''translated by Joanna Trzeciak)

Selected bibliography

Różewicz' works include: * 1947: ''Niepokój'' ("Anxiety") * 1948: ''Czerwona rękawiczka'' ("The Red Glove") * 1955: ''Opadly liscie z drzew'' ("The Leaves Have Fallen from the Trees") * 1960: ''Rozmowa z księciem'' ("Conversation with a Prince") * 1961: ''Głos Anonima'' ("The Anonymous Voice") * 1962: ''Nic w płaszczu Prospera'' ("Nothing Dressed in Prospero's Cloak") * 1964: ''Twarz'' ("The Face") * 1968: ''Twarz trzecia'' ("The Third Face") * 1968: ''Kartoteka'' ("The Card Index") * 1969: ''Stara kobieta wysiaduje'' ("The Old Lady Sits Waiting") * 1972: ''Na czworakach'' ("On All Fours") * 1975: ''Białe małżeństwo'' ("White Wedding") * 1979: ''Próba rekonstrukcji'' ("An Attempt to Reconstruct") * 1982: ''Pułapka'' ("The Trap"), Warszawa: Czytelnik * 1991: ''Płaskorzeźba'' ("Bas-Relief"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie * 1992: ''Nasz starszy brat'' ("Our Elder Brother") * 1996: ''Zawsze fragment. Recycling'' ("Always a Fragment: Recycling"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie * 1999: ''Matka odchodzi'' ("Mother Departs"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie * 2001: ''Nożyk profesora'' ("The Professor's Knife"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie * 2002: ''Szara strefa'' ("Gray Zone"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie * 2004: ''Wyjście'' ("Exit"), Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie * 2007: ''Nauka chodzenia'', Wrocław: Biuro Literackie * 2008: ''Kup kota w worku'', Wrocław: Biuro Literackie

In pop culture

Slovenian punk band

Niet Niet is a punk rock and hardcore punk band from Ljubljana, Slovenia. They were one of the most iconic and influential music groups of the Slovenian punk movement and the punk rock in Yugoslavia in general. The band was active from 1983 to 1988, ...

used parts of Rozewicz's poem ''Pierwsza miłość'' and recreated it in their 1984 punk balade ''Lep dan za smrt'' (''A Nice Day for Death''). Filmmaker

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...

paraphrased a line from Rozewicz's "Draft of a Modern Love Poem" in his 2007 film ''

Encounters at the End of the World ''Encounters at the End of the World'' is a 2007 American documentary film by Werner Herzog about Antarctica and the people who choose to spend time there. It was released in North America on June 11, 2008, and distributed by ThinkFilm. At the 81 ...

'', observing that "For me, the best description of hunger is a description of bread. A poet said that once, I think." In 2008, mainstream Slovenian band

Dan D Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

remade the Niet's song for what was to become one of the 2008 top hits on Slovenian radio stations.

References

Sources

* Wojciech Browarny: ''Tadeusz Różewicz and Modern Identity in Poland since the Second World War'' (transl. by P. Zazula, Wrocław 2019).W. Browarny: ''Tadeusz Różewicz and Modern Identity in Poland since the Second World War'' on Google Books
/ref> * Stanisław Burkot: ''Tadeusz Różewicz.'' Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne, 1987; . * Robert Cieślak: ''"Oko poety". Poezja Tadeusza Różewicza wobec sztuk wizualnych.'' Gdańsk: słowo-obraz terytoria, 1999. * ''Ewangelia odrzuconego. Szkice w 90. rocznicę urodzin Tadeusza Różewicza,'' red. J.M. Ruszar, Narodowe Centrum Kultury, Warszawa 2011. * Halina Filipowicz, ''A Laboratory of Impure Forms: The Plays of Tadeusz Różewicz'', Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated, 1991. * Grażyna Sztukiecka, ''Umrę cały? Rozmowy w cieniu śmierci. Senilna poezja Czesława Miłosza, Tadeusza Różewicza, Zbigniewa Herberta i Jarosława Marka Rymkiewicza,'' Narodowe Centrum Kultury, Warszawa 2011. * Kazimierz Wyka: ''Różewicz parokrotnie.'' Warszawa: PIW, 1977.

OCLC OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...

14677617 * Katarzyna Zechenter, 'Poet and dramatist haunted by the second world war and the suffering of Poland. Tadeusz Różewicz's obituary'. ''The Guardian'', 4 May 2014
www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/04/tadeusz-rozewicz

External links

*
Instytut Książki ("Books Institute")
website on Różewicz (in English)
Tadeusz Różewicz
at culture.pl
Kannada translations of five Tadeusz Rozewicz poems by S. Jayasrinivasa Rao at avadhimag.in

The Polish Book Institute 2013, (in English)
Różewicz's page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rozewicz, Tadeusz 1921 births 2014 deaths People from Radomsko Polish resistance members of World War II Nike Award winners Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Armia Krajowa Cross Recipients of the Polish Army Medal Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath laureates Recipients of the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis 20th-century Polish poets 20th-century Polish male writers Polish atheists Polish people of Jewish descent Recipients of the State Award Badge (Poland)