Wladyslaw Broniewski

Władysław Broniewski was a Polish poet, writer, translator and soldier. He was born in 1897 in Płock, in a noble family with patriotic traditions. He joined the Polish Legions in 1915 and fought in the First World War and the Polish-Soviet War. He was awarded the Virtuti Militari for his bravery. He became a prominent figure of the leftist and revolutionary poetry in the interwar period. He was arrested several times for his political views and activities. He also participated in the Second World War and was imprisoned by the Soviet NKVD for more than a year. He later joined the Polish army led by General Anders and travelled to the Middle East. After the war, he returned to Poland and became a national poet of the communist regime. He wrote a controversial poem praising Stalin in 1951, but also maintained some independence and critical stance. He died in 1962 in Warsaw, due to heart failure. He was buried with military honors at the Powązki Military Cemetery. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential Polish poets of the 20th century. His poetry deals with themes such as war, revolution, justice, freedom, patriotism and personal suffering. He also translated works by Dostoyevsky, Yesenin, Mayakovsky and Brecht.