Edward Stachura

Edward Stachura (18 August 1937 – 24 July 1979) was a Polish poet, writer, and translator. He rose to prominence in the 1960s, receiving prizes for both poetry and prose. His literary output includes four volumes of poetry, three collections of short stories, two novels, a book of essays, and the final work, Fabula rasa, which is difficult to classify. In addition to writing, Stachura translated literature from Spanish and French, most notably works of Jorge Luis Borges, Gaston Miron and Michel Deguy. He also wrote songs, and occasionally performed them. He died by suicide at the age of forty-one. Stachura spent his early life in France, moving to Poland in 1948. He studied philology and actively participated in literary circles. His career spanned poetry, short stories, and novels, with notable works like "Cała jaskrawość" and "Siekierezada albo zima leśnych ludzi." He received several awards, including the Stanisław Piętak Prize and The Kościelski Prize. His later years were marked by personal struggles and a deepening of his writing's more mystical or experimental aspects. The train accident in 1979, in which he lost much of his right hand, deeply affected him, leading to his final works written with his left hand. His death by suicide in 1979 concluded a prolific but turbulent life.