Estimated reading time: 1 minute
One of the most eminent Polish poets during World War II, a Home Army soldier, one of the representatives of the Generation of Columbuses, and a scout of the Grey Ranks. Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski was born exactly 102 years ago.
Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski was born on January 22, 1921, in Warsaw. He started writing poems already in middle school.
At the beginning of the occupation, Baczynski joined the socialist group “Płomienie” (Flames) and also wrote in the leftist literary and social magazine “Droga” (Way). However, the young poet’s leftist sympathies weakened considerably after September 17, 1939, and finally cooled off after the discovery of the graves at Katyn in April 1943.
In June 1942 Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski married Barbara Drapczynska, a student of underground Polish studies. The marriage turned out to be exceptionally well-matched and compatible.
His poetry expresses the emotions and fate of the Columbus generation. In his poems he often used the plural form, speaking for himself and the entire generation.
The poet was killed in the Blanka Palace on August 4 around 4 p.m. He was hit by a German sniper firing from the Grand Theater building. On September 1, his wife Barbara was killed.