The directory «Plots»

Herbert Zbigniew
(1924—1998)

Zbigniew Herbert was an influential Polish poet, essayist, drama writer, author of plays, and moralist. Zbigniew Herbert was born in 1924 in Lviv. His rich life story includes numerous dramatic events. After he had completed clandestine classes and passed his final secondary school examinations (pol. matura, equivalent of the Anglo-Saxon A-Level examinations) in Lviv, which was then occupied by the Germans, he studied Polish Philology and later, in Krakow, he took up studies in Economy at the Cracow University of Economics and Law at the Jagiellonian University. At the same time, he begun a course at the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts. If that wasn't enough, he got involved in the underground activities of the AK (pol. Armia Krajowa - Polish armed forces in conspiracy, an underground force in operation during the years of WW II). During the war and occupation he worked as, among others, a flea feeder with an institute developing vaccines against typhus. He completed his studies in Law in 1949 at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, after which he took up philosophy. His versatile education later on gave rise to unmatched poetry, forcing the reader to think hard and requiring knowledge of many fields of arts and science. His first literary appearance was in press in 1950, and his first published book, Struna Światła, came out six years later. In the 1980s Herbert was the poet of the Polish resistance. He always used to keep outside the poetic mainstream and only follow his own ways.

Zbigniew Herbert created the literary person of Mr Cogito as his alter ego. It is this imaginary character that the poet employed to voice truths too painful or difficult to say out loud, and also to talk about regular problems, the real world, and imaginary worlds. He never ceased his exploration of the paths of life, but also walked along country roads, in towns and cities, often wandering beyond the limits of reality. He would constantly keep looking for something which fled him, he never ceased to wonder, always used to contemplate, let himself get surprised. Mr Cogito is a modern man, but he is at the same time strongly attached to the Mediterranean civilisation and its heritage, and therefore full of contradictions, evoking admiration for the truths that he teaches and his attitude towards the world, but at the same time objection against some of the solutions he proposes. Like Mr Cogito, the poet never accepted compromise in real life. When old friends became enemies, he had no sympathy towards such conduct.

Zbigniew Herbert travelled extensively (among others to Austria, France, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Israel). He would always return to his country, but only to leave on a journey again. Seriously ill, he settled down permanently in Poland in 1992. He died on 28 June 1998 in Warsaw. Buried at the Warsaw Powązki cemetery, he was posthumously decorated with the Order of the White Eagle, the last one out of an impressive collection of awards which he received in numerous countries worldwide.

Poland, 2008, Zbigniew Herbert

Poland, 2008.12.01, Warsaw. Zbigniew Herbert