Poland’s Most Famous Translator Dies

Stanisław Barańczak

Stanisław Barańczak was born on 13 November 1946 in Poznań. After finishing high school, he attended and graduated from Adam Mickiewicz University, specialising in Polish literature. His literary debut was a poetry volume entitled “Korekta twarzy”. Stanisław Barańczak’s impressive output revolves around four main fields: academic and critical work in the field of literature, essays, poetic work and translation. The most significant of his translations are those of Shakespeare plays, for example Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, King Lear, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew. “Barańczak’s writing taught us critical thinking, which was independent from mass hypnosis,” wrote Adam Michnik recently. “He is the subject of admiration for all of us engaged in matters of Polish literature. His particular mixture of a poet, a translator and a literary critic all in one, is very unusual. Having said that I admit I value his work as a poet the most,” wrote Czesław Miłosz on the occasion of Barańczak’s fiftieth birthday. The prestigious NIKE award, which Barańczak received in 1990 for his book of poems “Chirurgiczna precyzja”, is one of his most important literary achievements. Critics name his “Dziennik Poranny” published in 1972 and “Widokówka z tego świata” from 1988 as prominent, key works.
reblogged from Newzar