Poems

By the acclaimed Polish Romantic poet: a stunning selection of his best known poems, including poems from the beloved Vade-mecum.

Cyprian Norwid (1821-1883), poet, playwright, novelist, thinker, and visual artist, was virtually unknown during his lifetime. His poetry, filled with aphorisms and multi-layered metaphor, is largely free of the melodic tone typical of Romantic poetry. When the occupying powers censored all writing in the Polish language, Norwid went into exile, moving through Europe and America. He died in a hostel in Ivry.

Following a career in psychiatry, Danuta Borchardt began translating the novels of Witold Gombrowicz. Her Ferdydurke received the National Translation Award in 2001, her Cosmos was awarded a NEA fellowship, and her Pornografia won the prestigious Found-in-Translation Award in 2010. Borchardt's short fiction has regularly appeared in Exquisite Corpse.