Episode Details

Wisława Szymborska was a preeminent Polish poet and translator who earned the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. Born in 1923, she spent most of her life in Kraków, navigating the complex political landscape of the Communist era before eventually aligning with dissident intellectuals. Her literary style is defined by ironic precision and the use of paradox to explore deep philosophical themes through the lens of everyday reality. Despite a relatively modest total output of fewer than 350 poems, her work has gained global recognition and has been adapted into various forms of film and music. Following her death in 2012, her artistic legacy continues to be honored through international awards and the ongoing publication of her collected writings.