Antoni Slonimski

Słonimski, Antoni 

Born Oct. 15, 1895, in Warsaw. Polish writer.

Słonimski graduated from the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. His first book of poetry, Sonnets, appeared in 1918. Słonimski criticized imperialist war and fascism from an abstract humanist point of view in his narrative poem Black Spring (1919) and in the collections Parade (1920), The Hour of Poetry (1923), and Window Without Bars (1935). He has also written political feuilletons and comedies, including The Tower of Babel (1927). During World War II (1939–45), Słonimski lived in Paris and London, where he published the collections of patriotic, antifascist poetry Alarm (1940) and Ashes and Wind (1940-41). From 1956 to 1959 he headed the Polish Writers’ Union. He has expressed disagreement with certain aspects of the policies of the Polish United Workers’ Party. Słonimski was awarded the State Prize of the Polish People’s Republic in 1955.

WORKS

Kroniki tygodniowe: 1927–1939. Warsaw, 1956.
Poezje zebrane, 2nd ed. Warsaw, 1970.
Jedna strona medalu. Warsaw, 1971.
In Russian translation:
Pol’skaia poeziia, vol. 2. Moscow, 1963.

REFERENCES

Sandauer, A. “Wiek zwycȩstwa.” In his Poeci trzech pokoleń. Warsaw. 1955.
Kowalczykowa, A. Liryki Słonimskiego: 1918-1935. Warsaw, 1967.