Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski

Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński was a Polish poet and Home Army soldier, one of the most well known of the Generation of Columbuses, the young generation of Polish poets, of whom several perished in the Warsaw Uprising and during the German occupation of Poland. He was born in Warsaw into the family of a literary critic and a school teacher. He suffered from asthma and had a weak heart. He graduated from the Stefan Batory Gymnasium and Lyceum in 1939, where he befriended future heroes of the Grey Ranks. He debuted as a poet in 1938 in the magazine Strzała, published by the Organization of Socialist Youth Spartakus, to which he belonged. He also wrote for the magazines Płomienie and Droga. He wanted to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, but the outbreak of World War II prevented him. He continued his education at the secret underground Warsaw University and the Home Army's Agricola NCOs School. He married Barbara Drapczyńska, a university colleague, in 1942. He wrote many poems, including some erotica, and also some poems in French. He joined the Zośka Battalion in 1943 and took part in many sabotage actions. He was killed by a German sniper on the fourth day of the Warsaw Uprising. He left behind a rich legacy of poetry, which was influenced by surrealism, expressionism, and Polish romanticism. He is regarded as one of the greatest Polish poets of the 20th century.