Edward Stachura
Encyclopedia
Edward Stachura AUD was a Polish poet and writer. He rose to prominence in the 1960s, receiving prizes for both poetry and prose. His literary output includes four volumes of poetry, three collections of short stories, two novels, a book of essays, and the final work, Fabula rasa, which is difficult to classify. In addition to writing, Stachura translated literature from Spanish and French, most notably works of Jorge Luis Borges
and Michel Deguy. He also wrote songs, and occasionally performed them. He committed suicide at the age of forty-one.
, department of Isère
, in eastern France
. He was the second of four children of Stanisław and Jadwiga Stachura (née Stępkowska) who met in France after having emigrated in the early 1920s in search of work.
Stachura spent the first eleven years of his life in France. The family lived in a large tenement house shared by a multilingual mix of emigrants; Stachura would later describe it in his first novel as “this great Tenement of Babel, where apart from the Poles, who called the tune, there was a mass of Greeks, Albanians, Armenians, Italians, Arabs, and other representatives of nations.” Stachura attended the French school, and, once a week, the Polish school, a teacher having been provided by the consulate. His brother Ryszard, eight years his senior, says that young Edward was courteous, caring, and likeable, but unusually stubborn: in school he had a habit of correcting his teachers if their ideas were at odds with those he got from other sources.
In 1948 the family moved to Poland
and settled down in a one-room thatched house in the village of Łazieniec near Aleksandrów Kujawski
, the mother’s inheritance. Stachura finished grade school in Aleksandrów Kujawski in 1952, completing the program in just three years, even though, according to his mother, his skills in Polish were at first inadequate. He began high school in Ciechocinek
. Originally Stachura planned a career in electrical engineering, and he also liked biology and geography, but his interests gradually shifted toward the visual arts and literature. Following conflicts with the school and with his father, Stachura moved to join his brother in Gdynia
where he finished high school, graduating in 1956. During that time he published his first poems. After an unsuccessful attempt at enrolling in an arts college, he returned home, working menial jobs, writing poetry, and corresponding with other young writers. He then moved to Toruń
, where he audited lectures in the art department at Nicolaus Copernicus University
, and participated in the literary movement of the city.
, his move to the capital motivated primarily by a desire to facilitate the publication of his work. He continued writing, publishing poetry in periodicals, and he engaged actively in the life of the literary milieu. The year 1962 marked two important events in Stachura’s life: the first book publication—a collection of short stories titled Jeden dzień (One Day); and his marriage to Zyta Anna Bartkowska—the future author of novels and short stories published under the pseudonym of Zyta Oryszyn. The following year Stachura published his first book of poetry, Dużo ognia (Lots of Fire). Despite continuing financial difficulties, he graduated in 1965 with a master’s degree in Romance Philology; his thesis discussed the work of Henri Michaux
.
where Stachura studied in 1969 and 1970 on a twelve-month scholarship funded by the Mexican government.
The period during the writing and directly after the completion of the second novel was particularly difficult for Stachura. His marriage disintegrated, throwing him into fits of depression during which he contemplated suicide. After his return from Mexico, Stachura traveled much around Poland, often drinking heavily. In 1971, he visited the Middle East: Damascus
and Beirut
, and he returned to Poland via Rome
and Prague
. In January 1972, Stachura lost his "adopted father," Rafał Urban: a writer and a storyteller; a fascinating, colorful character, twice his age, who died of cancer. In September, Stachura’s marriage was legally dissolved, and two months later his natural father died, also of cancer. Stanisław Stachura was a formidable character who over the years inspired in his son a wide range of emotions: admiration, fear, hostility, and—eventually—pity. Right after his father’s funeral, Stachura found himself in a hospital, a victim of an abnormally strong allergic reaction; while there, he wrote letters to all three siblings informing them of his intent to break off all contact with them—the symptom of a tendency that would soon become more pronounced.
, then to Geneva
to receive The Kościelski Prize
, and from there to France, to visit his birthplace in Charvieu. Next year he spent a few months in the United States
, Canada
, and Mexico
. In 1975 Stachura published Wszystko jest poezja (Everything is Poetry)—a collection of essays blending impressionistic commentary about everyday events in the author’s life with philosophical reflections on the nature of the creative process and the relationship between life and literature. The book was followed by the publication of a long poem, "Kropka nad ypsylonem" ("A Dot over Ypsilon") in the literary monthly Twórczość
.
In the next few years Stachura showed a gradual deepening of distancing himself from events and people, and of his perception of aversion and hostility in the actions of friends and relatives. This transformation ultimately led to what is described by some as the mystical period in his life and writing, and by others as evidence of progressive mental illness. In 1977 he published Się—a collection of short stories employing a peculiar narrative technique (the title is a reflexive pronoun central to that technique), and suggesting, in the last selection, the elimination of corporeality. The book had met with mixed reception. In 1978 Stachura published his last volume of poetry, Missa pagana. The next book, Fabula rasa, was to be his last. Published in 1979, the work continued the direction suggested two years earlier by Się—Stachura even insisted (unsuccessfully) on his name on the cover being replaced with the phrase "No-man." The book led to extremely polarized critical reactions: they ranged from calling it a manifestation of the author’s mental breakdown (Ziemowit Fedecki) to praising it as one of the greatest works in the world literature (Andrzej Falkiewicz).
Regardless of the assessment of Stachura’s final work, there is no doubt that he was afflicted during that time with mental disturbances. In April 1979 he suffered a mysterious train accident: he refused to step away from the railroad track along which we was walking, despite the fact that he saw an approaching train. He suffered concussion and lost most of his right hand. After a period of hospitalization in a psychiatric ward (which he requested), Stachura returned to his mother in Aleksandrów Kujawski. He taught himself to write with his left hand and described his experiences before, during, and after the accident in a deeply moving journal, later published under the title "Pogodzić się ze światem" ("To Come to Terms with the World"). He continued writing in the journal until just four days before his death. Stachura took his own life in his Warsaw apartment on 24 July 1979, leaving behind his final poem: "List do pozostałych" ("A Letter to the Remaining")
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
and Michel Deguy. He also wrote songs, and occasionally performed them. He committed suicide at the age of forty-one.
Childhood and adolescence
Edward Stachura was born on 18 August 1937 in a family of Polish emigrants in Charvieu-ChavagneuxCharvieu-Chavagneux
Charvieu-Chavagneux is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.The Bourbre forms most of the commune's eastern border.-People:* Jean Djorkaeff, French professional football player...
, department of Isère
Isère
Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné...
, in eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was the second of four children of Stanisław and Jadwiga Stachura (née Stępkowska) who met in France after having emigrated in the early 1920s in search of work.
Stachura spent the first eleven years of his life in France. The family lived in a large tenement house shared by a multilingual mix of emigrants; Stachura would later describe it in his first novel as “this great Tenement of Babel, where apart from the Poles, who called the tune, there was a mass of Greeks, Albanians, Armenians, Italians, Arabs, and other representatives of nations.” Stachura attended the French school, and, once a week, the Polish school, a teacher having been provided by the consulate. His brother Ryszard, eight years his senior, says that young Edward was courteous, caring, and likeable, but unusually stubborn: in school he had a habit of correcting his teachers if their ideas were at odds with those he got from other sources.
In 1948 the family moved to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and settled down in a one-room thatched house in the village of Łazieniec near Aleksandrów Kujawski
Aleksandrów Kujawski
Aleksandrów Kujawski is a small town in Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.It is situated about 18 km south-east of Toruń...
, the mother’s inheritance. Stachura finished grade school in Aleksandrów Kujawski in 1952, completing the program in just three years, even though, according to his mother, his skills in Polish were at first inadequate. He began high school in Ciechocinek
Ciechocinek
Ciechocinek is a spa town in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, located on the Vistula River about east of Aleksandrów Kujawski and south-east of the city of Toruń.Ciechocinek is known for its unique 'saline graduation towers'....
. Originally Stachura planned a career in electrical engineering, and he also liked biology and geography, but his interests gradually shifted toward the visual arts and literature. Following conflicts with the school and with his father, Stachura moved to join his brother in Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
where he finished high school, graduating in 1956. During that time he published his first poems. After an unsuccessful attempt at enrolling in an arts college, he returned home, working menial jobs, writing poetry, and corresponding with other young writers. He then moved to Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
, where he audited lectures in the art department at Nicolaus Copernicus University
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń is located in Toruń, Poland. It was named after Nicolaus Copernicus who was born in this town in 1473.-The beginnings of higher education in Toruń:...
, and participated in the literary movement of the city.
College and first book publications
Stachura enrolled at the Catholic University of Lublin in 1957, majoring in French Philology. Struggling with difficult financial conditions, he continued writing and actively seeking opportunities to publish his works. He interrupted his studies at CUL twice, and after travelling around the country in 1959 and 1960 he finally transferred to the University of WarsawUniversity 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...
, his move to the capital motivated primarily by a desire to facilitate the publication of his work. He continued writing, publishing poetry in periodicals, and he engaged actively in the life of the literary milieu. The year 1962 marked two important events in Stachura’s life: the first book publication—a collection of short stories titled Jeden dzień (One Day); and his marriage to Zyta Anna Bartkowska—the future author of novels and short stories published under the pseudonym of Zyta Oryszyn. The following year Stachura published his first book of poetry, Dużo ognia (Lots of Fire). Despite continuing financial difficulties, he graduated in 1965 with a master’s degree in Romance Philology; his thesis discussed the work of Henri Michaux
Henri Michaux
Henri Michaux was a highly idiosyncratic Belgian-born poet, writer, and painter who wrote in French. He later took French citizenship. Michaux is best known for his esoteric books written in a highly accessible style, and his body of work includes poetry, travelogues, and art criticism...
.
Maturity and critical recognition
The years following the graduation saw a flowering of Stachura’s work. The second collection of short stories, Falując na wietrze (Waving in the Wind), was published in 1966. The book received the annual Prize of the Polish Publishers’ Association. Around that time, Stachura also began a type of journal in which he collected various notes, many of which he would later incorporate into his works. Two books of poetry followed in 1968: Przystępuję do ciebie (I Come Close to You) and Po ogrodzie niech hula szarańcza (Let the Locust Hold Sway in the Garden); the latter received the prestigious Stanisław Piętak Prize. In 1969 Stachura published his first novel, Cała jaskrawość (All the Brightness), work on the novel having begun three years earlier in the form of notes in Stachura’s journal. The second novel, Siekierezada albo zima leśnych ludzi (Axing, or the Winter of the Forest Folk), followed in 1971, and it earned the author Stanisław Piętak Prize for the second time. Like the first novel, the book began with notes in the journal starting in 1967, and it was written partly in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
where Stachura studied in 1969 and 1970 on a twelve-month scholarship funded by the Mexican government.
The period during the writing and directly after the completion of the second novel was particularly difficult for Stachura. His marriage disintegrated, throwing him into fits of depression during which he contemplated suicide. After his return from Mexico, Stachura traveled much around Poland, often drinking heavily. In 1971, he visited the Middle East: Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, and he returned to Poland via Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. In January 1972, Stachura lost his "adopted father," Rafał Urban: a writer and a storyteller; a fascinating, colorful character, twice his age, who died of cancer. In September, Stachura’s marriage was legally dissolved, and two months later his natural father died, also of cancer. Stanisław Stachura was a formidable character who over the years inspired in his son a wide range of emotions: admiration, fear, hostility, and—eventually—pity. Right after his father’s funeral, Stachura found himself in a hospital, a victim of an abnormally strong allergic reaction; while there, he wrote letters to all three siblings informing them of his intent to break off all contact with them—the symptom of a tendency that would soon become more pronounced.
The final years
In 1973 Stachura travelled to NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, then to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
to receive The Kościelski Prize
Koscielski Award
The Kościelski Award is an independent Polish literary award, awarded since 1962 by the Geneva-based Kościelski Foundation. The jury issues annual awards to "promising writers" 40 years of age or younger...
, and from there to France, to visit his birthplace in Charvieu. Next year he spent a few months in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In 1975 Stachura published Wszystko jest poezja (Everything is Poetry)—a collection of essays blending impressionistic commentary about everyday events in the author’s life with philosophical reflections on the nature of the creative process and the relationship between life and literature. The book was followed by the publication of a long poem, "Kropka nad ypsylonem" ("A Dot over Ypsilon") in the literary monthly Twórczość
Twórczość
Twórczość is a Polish monthly literary journal, first published in 1945. Since 1 April 2000, Twórczość has been published by the state-funded Book Institute ....
.
In the next few years Stachura showed a gradual deepening of distancing himself from events and people, and of his perception of aversion and hostility in the actions of friends and relatives. This transformation ultimately led to what is described by some as the mystical period in his life and writing, and by others as evidence of progressive mental illness. In 1977 he published Się—a collection of short stories employing a peculiar narrative technique (the title is a reflexive pronoun central to that technique), and suggesting, in the last selection, the elimination of corporeality. The book had met with mixed reception. In 1978 Stachura published his last volume of poetry, Missa pagana. The next book, Fabula rasa, was to be his last. Published in 1979, the work continued the direction suggested two years earlier by Się—Stachura even insisted (unsuccessfully) on his name on the cover being replaced with the phrase "No-man." The book led to extremely polarized critical reactions: they ranged from calling it a manifestation of the author’s mental breakdown (Ziemowit Fedecki) to praising it as one of the greatest works in the world literature (Andrzej Falkiewicz).
Regardless of the assessment of Stachura’s final work, there is no doubt that he was afflicted during that time with mental disturbances. In April 1979 he suffered a mysterious train accident: he refused to step away from the railroad track along which we was walking, despite the fact that he saw an approaching train. He suffered concussion and lost most of his right hand. After a period of hospitalization in a psychiatric ward (which he requested), Stachura returned to his mother in Aleksandrów Kujawski. He taught himself to write with his left hand and described his experiences before, during, and after the accident in a deeply moving journal, later published under the title "Pogodzić się ze światem" ("To Come to Terms with the World"). He continued writing in the journal until just four days before his death. Stachura took his own life in his Warsaw apartment on 24 July 1979, leaving behind his final poem: "List do pozostałych" ("A Letter to the Remaining")
Poetry
- Dużo ognia (Lots of Fire) (1963)
- Przystępuję do ciebie (I Come Close to You ) (1968)
- Po ogrodzie niech hula szarańcza (Let the Locust Hold Sway in the Garden) (1968)
- Kropka nad ypsilonem (A Dot over Ypsilon) (1975)
- Missa pagana (1978)
Collections of Short Stories
- Jeden dzień (One Day) (1962)
- Falując na wietrze (Waving in the Wind) (1966)
- Się (1977)
Novels
- Cała jaskrawość (All the Brightness) (1969)
- Siekierezada albo zima leśnych ludzi (Axing, or the Winter of the Forest Folk) (1971)
Other prose
- Wszystko jest poezja: Opowieść-rzeka (Everything is Poetry: A River-Tale) (1975)
- Fabula rasa (rzecz o egoizmie) (Fabula Rasa (A Piece on Egoism)) (1979)
- Fabula rasa (apendyks) (Fabula Rasa (Appendix)) (1979)
- Oto (Here) (1979)
Collected works
- Poezja i proza (Poetry and Prose) (1982)
- Vol. 1 Wiersze, poematy, piosenki, przeklady (Poetry, Songs, Translations)
- Vol. 2 Opowiadania (Short Stories)
- Vol. 3 Powieści (Novels)
- Vol. 4 Wszystko jest poezja (Everything is Poetry)
- Vol. 5 Fabula rasa. Z wypowiedzi rosproszonych (Fabula Rasa. From Scattered Utterances)
External links
- Edward Stachura (English)
- Edward Stachura (Polish)