Poland in Denmark

Poet and essayist Adam Zagajewski visited Copenhagen to take part in the „Zagajewski in music” project, inspired by his works. On this occasion he met with students of Easteuropean Studies of the Humanities Department, University of Copenhagen (the curriculum includes Polish studies). Prof. Krzysztof Stala, head of Polish Studies, introduced the guest and his biography to the audience. Adam Zagajewski dwelled upon the beginnings of his literary work in the early 70’s, when he became member of „the new wave” literary movement and on the challenges of criticizing the communist system in Poland of that time. He talked of poetry as of the laboratory of language, with the ultimate goal of deceiving the censorship. In this context he underlined the exceptional position of culture in communist Poland, which after 1956 was no longer burdened with the doctrine of socrealism, threby developing more freely than in other countries of the Soviet bloc. He also referred to the role of culture after 1989, when the artists could finally return to their more natural role, i.e. to observe and describe surrounding reality along with spiritual values.  

Later that day, Adam Zagajewski met with the Polish diaspora at the Embassy of Poland. The meeting co-organized  with the Discussion Club Agora centered around literature. Mr Zagajewski presented his latest poems, dwelling moreover about his experience as political refugee in France and as teacher of creative writing at the universities in Houston and Chicago. The discussion touched upon poetry and music and the connections between the two.