On August 27, 2024, a wreath was laid on the grave of Kazimierz Wierzyński at the Warsaw Powązki Cemetery on behalf of the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, commemorating the 130th anniversary of the poet’s birth.
Early Life and Literary Achievements
Born in 1894 in Drohobych, Wierzyński was involved in the independence movement and was imprisoned during World War I by the Russians. After 1918, he became a co-founder of the “Skamander” group and published several poetry collections and prose works. Notably, in 1928, he won a gold medal in the Olympic Art and Literature Competition at the Amsterdam Olympic Games for his collection “Olympic Laurel.”
Exile and Defiance
After the outbreak of World War II, Wierzyński fled to Lviv and later moved to the United States via France. He collaborated with Radio Free Europe and published in various exile publications. In the 1960s, he returned to Europe, settling in Rome, and passed away in London in 1969. Throughout his life, Wierzyński remained steadfast in opposing the post-Yalta order and the reality of Communist Poland, continually advocating for Poland’s independence.