Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski (1921 - 1944)

Jozef Szczepanski "Ziutek" (1922 - 1944)

          Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski (1921 - 1944)

          "And one of us - he is the me,
          who fell in love. My world blossomed out
          like a mighty cloud, like fire in a dream
          and like a tree I am upright.

          Another of us - he is the me,
          who gave birth to a tremulus hatred. The glitter
          you see is my knife. No tear will there be
          to fall from my eyes as torpid as water." *


         "Sitting with girls in the golden sunshine, on the mowed grass, fair-haired, suntanned, in their shorts and white shirts they were like butterflies and perhaps birds, that are going to stretch their wings and fly in a moment. Even I, grown up, mistrustful, vigilantly listening to the rumbles of a dread growing around, did not sense that they were destined to fly short and high as Icarus." - wrote Hanna Morktowicz-Olczakowska in the summer of 1939 - the last carefree holidays of the Columbus generation** - just before The World War II broke out. The flight of Icarus, marvellous but extremely short - this expression perfectly describes the life of Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski***.

         Baczynski was born in Warsaw on January 22, 1921. The only son of the writer and critic Stanislaw Baczynski, insurgent in the third Silesian Uprising and Stefania Zielenczyk, a teacher and children's writer. He graduated from the elite Stefan Batory Secondary School in Warsaw in summer 1939.
         He was endowed with extraordinary art skills and planned to study at the Warsaw Academy of Arts to become illustrator and graphic artist, he also thought of undertaking the studies in France. The outbreak of World War II, and the family tragedy - his father's death in July 1939 - shattered these plans for ever.
         His literary talent emerged early stimulated by the artistic atmosphere of home. He wrote many poems already before the war with the earliest dating back to 1936. They formed the first "poetry book" - green notebook with the inscription: "These poems shall never be printed". The publishers never complied with these instructions. These first lyrics constitute the prelude to Baczynski's poetry that bloomed in the years of war.
         During the Nazi occupation Baczynski created unique and extraordinary poetry ranking him alongside Czeslaw Milosz and Wislawa Szymborska and granting him a remarkable place in the history of Polish literature. Difficult and scary reality of Nazi occupation made young people become mature earlier. Poetry became the way for expressing emotions not known to people who live in times of peace.
         Baczynski (pen name - Jan Bugaj) is named the greatest one of many tremendous wartime poets. He was often compared to Juliusz Slowacki **** and called "the late grandson" of Romantics.

         As many of his friends Baczynski was an active boy scout and a member of the sports club. During the War he studied Polish literature at the underground university. He was also affiliated with the socialist group "Plomienie" ('Flames') and "Droga" publishing house.
         While studying at the underground university he met Barbara Drapczynska, his first love and future wife. According to the critics Polish poetry owes her extraordinary love poems created by Baczynski. They were married in 1942 in the Church at Solec Street in Czerniakow (Cherniakov).
         Baczynski joined the Scout Storm Groups (a part of Grey Ranks - underground Polish Scouting and Guiding Association) in 1943, he was a cadet in the underground Grey Ranks' officer cadet school "Agrykola". Until July 1944 Baczynski was the soldier of "Zoska" (Zoshka) Home Army battalion. He was participating in sabotage missions of derailing trains. Baczynski was moved to Parasol (Umbrella) battalion just before the Warsaw Uprising in July 1944.
         During the Nazi occupation Baczynski took an active part in Warsaw underground literary life. He wrote a lot and published few volumes of verse. Each of his poems was dated, he even put an exact hour under the verses, as if he felt how fast his time was passing. His poetry is assumed to be The Second Avangarda also called the Catastrophism. At the same time his poetry is in fairy-tale current. He took a very visible turn to the Romanthics Poetry. Many of his poems are military and patriotic. The patriotism however does not include slogans but rather sad and painful reflections.
         On August 1, 1944 Baczynski left his flat at Holowki Street and directed to the clandestine meeting at the Teatralny Square. There he was caught by the outbreak of the Uprising. He never came back home, never saw his wife again. He was killed in action on the 4th day of the Uprising, shot by the sniper when he stood in the window of the Blank Palace. His wife, Barbara still not aware of her husband's death was seriously wounded by shrapnel while running through the street on August 31 and died the next day. They are buried together at the Powazki Military Cemetery in between the quarters of "Zoska" (Zoshka) and "Parasol" (Umbrella) battalions.

         As Kazimierz Wyka puts It, the death of the only 23-year-old Poet, yet untimely and tragic, did not interrupt his literary output. Baczynski became mature so surprisingly quickly that his works are fully expressed and finished. This is the poetry of high flight despite the fact that this flight lasted for such a short time.
         But we, the readers, will be always surrounded by this persistent longing for all these poems that he wasn't able to write...

Katarzyna Ostap-Tomann