Anna Kamienska
Encyclopedia
Anna Kamienska was a poet, writer, translator and literary critic who wrote many books for children and adolescents.
. Her parents were Tadeusz Kamienski and Maria Cękalskich. Her early years were spent in Lublin
. She frequently stayed with her grandparents in Świdnik
.
Her father died early, so the burden of bringing up four daughters fell on her mother. Anna's first poetry was composed when she was about 14 (1936), published in "Płomyczek" under the auspices of Joseph Czechowicz. From 1937, she studied at the Pedagogical School in Warsaw. During the Nazi occupation, she lived in Lublin, and taught in underground village schools. After graduating from college in Lublin, she studied classical philology - initially at the Catholic University of Lublin, and then at the University of Lodz
.
Kamienska was affiliated with the cultural weekly "Country", where she was an editor from 1946 -1953, and the weekly "New Culture" (poetry editor, 1950-1963), and a monthly "Work" (from 1968). In the mid-fifties, she began to write songs for youth.
In 1948 she married poet and translator Jan Śpiewak. Together they had two sons: Jan Leon (1949-1988 - a journalist, publicist, writer, social activist) and Paweł
(born in 1951, professor of sociology at the University of Warsaw
, and member of the Sejm
, 2005 -2007).
Anna and Jan worked together on translations of Russian poetry and drama, and edited numerous books. In 1967 Jan suddenly fell ill with cancer and died 22 December. Kamieńska turned to Christian faith, which deeply influenced her later works.
She died in Warsaw, 10 May 1986.
as well as from Hebrew, Latin
and French
. Her poems record the struggles of a rational mind with religious faith, addressing loneliness and uncertainty in a direct, unsentimental manner. While exploring the meaning of love and grief, and the yearning for love, Kamienska's poetry still expresses a quiet humor and a pervasive sense of gratitude for human existence and for a myriad of creatures, hedgehogs, birds, and "young leaves willing to open to the sun".
Life
Kamieńska was born on 12 April 1920 in KrasnystawKrasnystaw
Krasnystaw is a town in eastern Poland with 19,615 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Chelm Voivodeship . It is the capital of Krasnystaw County....
. Her parents were Tadeusz Kamienski and Maria Cękalskich. Her early years were spent in Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
. She frequently stayed with her grandparents in Świdnik
Swidnik
Świdnik is a town in eastern Poland with 42,797 inhabitants , situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, very near the city of Lublin. It is the capital of Świdnik County.-History:The village of Świdnik is first mentioned in historical records from 1392...
.
Her father died early, so the burden of bringing up four daughters fell on her mother. Anna's first poetry was composed when she was about 14 (1936), published in "Płomyczek" under the auspices of Joseph Czechowicz. From 1937, she studied at the Pedagogical School in Warsaw. During the Nazi occupation, she lived in Lublin, and taught in underground village schools. After graduating from college in Lublin, she studied classical philology - initially at the Catholic University of Lublin, and then at the University of Lodz
University of Lódz
The University of Łódź was founded May 24, 1945 in Łódź, as a continuation of educational institutions functioning in Łódź in the interwar period - the Teacher Training Institute , the Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences and a division of the Free Polish University .Currently it has more...
.
Kamienska was affiliated with the cultural weekly "Country", where she was an editor from 1946 -1953, and the weekly "New Culture" (poetry editor, 1950-1963), and a monthly "Work" (from 1968). In the mid-fifties, she began to write songs for youth.
In 1948 she married poet and translator Jan Śpiewak. Together they had two sons: Jan Leon (1949-1988 - a journalist, publicist, writer, social activist) and Paweł
Pawel Spiewak
Paweł Śpiewak is a Polish sociologist, historian, author and former politician. He is a Professor of Sociology at Warsaw University. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 18403 votes in 19 Warsaw district, running as a candidate with the Platforma Obywatelska list...
(born in 1951, professor of sociology at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
, and member of the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
, 2005 -2007).
Anna and Jan worked together on translations of Russian poetry and drama, and edited numerous books. In 1967 Jan suddenly fell ill with cancer and died 22 December. Kamieńska turned to Christian faith, which deeply influenced her later works.
She died in Warsaw, 10 May 1986.
Work
She wrote fifteen books of poetry, two volumes of "Notebooks", providing a short-hand record of her readings and self-questioning, three volumes of commentaries on the Bible, and translations from several Slavic languagesSlavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
as well as from Hebrew, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. Her poems record the struggles of a rational mind with religious faith, addressing loneliness and uncertainty in a direct, unsentimental manner. While exploring the meaning of love and grief, and the yearning for love, Kamienska's poetry still expresses a quiet humor and a pervasive sense of gratitude for human existence and for a myriad of creatures, hedgehogs, birds, and "young leaves willing to open to the sun".
In translation
- Astonishments : Selected Poems of Anna Kamieńska, edited and translated by Grażyna Drabik and David Curzon, Paraclete Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-55725-528-0