We were reminded of a meeting with Tadeusz Różewicz at a bookshop in Bolesławiec by Danuta Maślicka. She dedicated her poem from the collection “The Performance” to the poet. In it, she wrote
You visited my town several times, Once I gave you, Master, a small ceramic Guardian Angel […]
In 2007, the Tygrys Ogłuszony Domem theatre group welcomed the great man of letters at the Agora bookshop. TOD members organized a happening. They recruited a group of people who, just before entering the bookshop—instead of the traditional “good morning”—welcomed the author of “Anxiety” by reading excerpts from his texts, in both Polish and English.
The memorable meeting was opened by Jan Stolarczyk, editor-in-chief of Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie, the publishing house with which Różewicz had been associated for years. Asked what made Różewicz great, he replied: “Różewicz is one of those few poets interested in how the consciousness of modern man is formed. He is a scoffer. He mocks political reality and the world of the media.”
Editor Stolarczyk also said that although the great poet drew from the language of newspapers and everyday speech, the directness and simplicity of this poetry were deceptive. “Różewicz exposes falsehoods, deceptions, everything that causes modern man to lose his identity. He is a joker, a satirist, but on the level of philosophical language,” the publisher added at the meeting seven years ago.
Tadeusz Różewicz himself was pleased with the meeting and added that he was not worried about failing to attract crowds. The poet died on 24 April 2014 in Wrocław. He was 92.
(information: ii)