Bolesław Taborski (7 May 1927 – 6 December 2010) was a Polish poet, literary and drama theoretician, essayist, prolific translator of English and Polish, and a long serving

BBC Polish Section The BBC Polish Section ( pl, Sekcja polska BBC) was one of the foreign-language services of the BBC World Service. It existed between 1939 and 2005. History A decision to establish the BBC Polish Section was made on 3 September 1939, after Great ...

editor and presenter. He chronicled and translated into English the work of some of the most notable Poles of the

Post-war era In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...

of the 20th century, such as Lech Wałęsa,

Jan Kott Jan Kott (October 27, 1914 – December 22, 2001) was a Polish political activist, critic and theoretician of the theatre. A leading proponent of Stalinism in Poland for nearly a decade after the Soviet takeover, Kott renounced his Communist P ...

, and

Jerzy Grotowski Jerzy Marian Grotowski (; 11 August 1933 – 14 January 1999) was a Polish theatre director and theorist whose innovative approaches to acting, training and theatrical production have significantly influenced theatre today. He was born in Rzesz ...

. His undoubted influence on modern theatre has yet to be assessed in detail. He had a personal friendship with

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

which grew out of their shared interest in literature and the fact that Taborski was his literary translator into English.

Early life

Taborski was born in

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

. During the occupation of Poland in

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was a member of the underground resistance both in

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 ...

and

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 ...

where he took part in the uprising in 1944. In its aftermath he became a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. After liberation he decided to stay in the West.

Literary career

In 1946 he arrived in the United Kingdom. After graduating in English Literature and Drama at

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, he joined the editorial board of the Polish magazine, '' Merkuriusz Polski Nowy''. He was a member of the émigré poetic movement ''Kontynenty''. For thirty years from 1959 he was on the staff of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

service to Poland, among other programmes, editing and presenting the Sunday arts broadcast, latterly known as ''The Arts by the Thames'' ("Sztuka nad Tamizą"). His extensive translation output includes translating the work of

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was a British poet, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celtic ...

, Philip Larkin and

Robert Lowell Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV (; March 1, 1917 – September 12, 1977) was an American poet. He was born into a Boston Brahmin family that could trace its origins back to the ''Mayflower''. His family, past and present, were important subjects i ...

into Polish. Probably his most influential translation into English was professor

's ''Shakespeare our Contemporary'', which inspired theatrical directors for a generation, people like, Peter Brook and Charles Marowitz. He also worked with

to make him more accessible to an English speaking audience. Taborski was himself the author of several texts on theatre. Taborski's translations into English also include the plays of Karol Woytyła,

. He came to know Woytyła personally and travelled to Rome where they discussed literature for over a decade.

Awards

He received the Koscielski Award in 1977. This was followed in 1988 by the Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz award.

Personal life

Bolesław Taborski married Halina, a professor and latterly, chancellor of the

Polish University Abroad The Polish University Abroad, or Polish University in Exile ( pl, Polski Uniwersytet na Obczyźnie, abbreviated PUNO), was initially established in London in 1949 (de facto 1952). The Polish University Abroad has a B.A. programme and does researc ...

; they had a daughter. He was a long-standing member of the SPP, ''Polish Writers Association'' and of the PEN club. He published a memoir of his time in the Warsaw uprising, ''Moje Powstanie - wtedy i teraz'' (1998).

Death

Taborski died in London, aged 83. His ashes were taken to the Pantheon of the

Armia Krajowa The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...

in the Powązki Military Cemetery.

Selected bibliography

Main works

Poetry collections include: * ''Czasy mijania'' (1957) * ''Ziarna nocy'' (1958) * ''Przestępując granicę'' (1962) * ''Lekcja trwająca'' (1967) * ''Głos milczenia'' (1969) * ''Wybór wierszy'' (1973) * ''Duet'' (1975) * ''Sieć Słów'' (1976) * ''For the Witnesses'' (1978) * ''Obserwator cieni'' (1979) * ''Miłość'' (1980) * ''Cudza teraźniejszość'' (1983) * ''Sztuka'' (1985) * ''Cisza traw'' (1986) * ''Życie i śmierć'' (1988) * ''Dobranoc bezsensie'' (1991) * ''Przetrwanie'' (1998) * ''Poezje wybrane'' (1999) * ''Drzwi gnieźnieńskie/Gniezno Door'' (2000) * ''Ułamek istnienia'' (2002) * ''Nowa Era Big Brothera i inne wiersze'' (2004) * ''Plan B.'' (2007) * ''Mój przyjaciel Szekspir'' (2007) * ''Jedyne wyjście'' (2010)

Works related to Pope John Paul II

Translations of the plays of Karol Woytyła

* ''Job'' * ''Jeremiah'' * '' Our God's Brother'' * ''The Jeweller's Shop'' * ''Radiating Paternity''

Biographical sketches and poems

* ''Wprost w moje serce uderza droga wszystkich: o Karolu Wojtyle Janie Pawle II – szkice, wspomnienia, wiersze'' (2005) ("Everyone's Journey Makes My Heart Jump: About Karol Woytyła, John Paul II – Sketches, Recollections, Poems")

Selected works on theatre

* ''Nowy teatr elżbietański'' (1967), "The New Elizabethan Theatre" * ''Polish Plays in English Translations - A Bibliography'' (1968) * ''Byron and the Theatre'' (1972) * ''Karola Wojtyły dramaturgia wnętrza'' (1989) * ''Mój przyjaciel Szekspir'' (2007) ("My friend Shakespeare")Taborski, Bolesław. (2007). ''Mój przyjaciel Szekspir ...'' ''Seria Jubileuszowa XX-lecia Konfraterni Poetów''. London: Oficyna Konfraterni Poetów,

References

External links

* Śmieja, Florian on Taborski and John Paul II's literary creativity, http://www.cultureave.com/w-polskiej-sekcji-bbc-boleslaw-taborski-przepracowal-34-lata-redagujac-magazyn-artystyczno-literacki-tlumaczac-angielskie-sztuki-i-sporzadzajac-sprawozdania-z-festiwali-artystycznych-byla-to-ciezka/ accessed 10 February 2018 * Laureaci Nagrody im. Stanisława Ignacego Witkiewicza, winners of the Witkacy Award: {{DEFAULTSORT:Taborski, Bolesław 1927 births 2010 deaths Warsaw Uprising insurgents Alumni of the University of Bristol Polish male poets 20th-century Polish poets 21st-century Polish poets People from Toruń 20th-century Polish writers Literary translators Polish translators Translators from Polish Polish–English translators Shakespearean scholars Polish male writers Acting theorists Polish theatre critics Polish anti-communists Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom BBC radio presenters BBC newsreaders and journalists BBC World Service people Polish radio journalists Polish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps People associated with the magazine "Kultura"