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Anna Frajlich

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Anna Frajlich
Portrait of Anna Frajlich in a black brimmed hat and a coat with a fur collar.
Born1942
Katta Taldyk, Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan
Occupation Poet, journalist, scholar, teacher
LanguagePolish
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Warsaw
Years active1958–present
SpouseWładysław Zając (1965–present)
Children1
Website
www.annafrajlich.com

Anna Frajlich (born 1942), known also as Anna Frajlich-Zając,[1] is a Polish-American poet and a Senior Lecturer Emerita at the Department of Slavic Languages and Associate Faculty Member, Harriman Institute at Columbia University in New York City, where she taught Polish language and literature for over three decades.

Early life and education

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Frajlich was born in 1942 in Kyrgyzstan to a Polish-Jewish family. The family was separated in 1941. Her father, Psachie Frajlich, a technician, found himself in Lysva, in Perm Region, in USSR, while her mother, Amalia, ended up in Kyrgyzstan where Anna was born.[2] The family was able to reunite in Lysva in 1943.[3] After the end of the war of World War II, in 1946, the family returned to Poland and settled in Szczecin.[4]

Frajlich graduated from the University of Warsaw with the master's degree in Polish literature. She studied at the Slavic Department of the New York University where she was awarded a PhD in Russian literature in 1991. Her doctoral thesis "Legacy of Ancient Rome in the Russian Silver Age" was later published as a monograph.[5][6]

Career

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After completing her master's degree, she worked in publications for visually impaired people.[7] In 1968–1969, the Communist government in Poland engaged in an anti-Semitic campaign that spurred the last significant emigration wave of Polish Jews from the country. Frajlich, together with her husband, engineer Władysław Zając, and son, emigrated to the United States in 1969.[8]

Her first teaching job in the United States was at SUNY Stony Brook where she taught Polish language.[9] In 1982, she started teaching Polish language and then literature at Columbia University, where she worked until her retirement in 2016.[10] She started contributing to the Polish émigré press in the United States and Europe.[11] She was also a freelance contributor to the Radio Free Europe, Polish Section. Anna Frajlich was the only Polish journalist from the Radio Free Europe to whom Czesław Miłosz granted an interview after he became the 1980 Nobel Prize winner in Literature.[12][13]

She started writing and publishing her poetry in 1958 in weekly literary supplements in Warsaw, Szczecin and Poznań. Her first book of poetry "Aby wiatr namalować" ("To paint the wind") was published in 1976 in England. Her poetry in translation appeared in the US in journals "Mr. Cogito", "Artful Dodge", "Poet Lore", "Terra Poetica" and others since early 1980s.

In 2007, she was named an Honorary Ambassador of Szczecin (in Polish "Ambasador Szczecina").[14]

She has published numerous books of poetry, essays and articles. Her poetry was translated into English, French, Italian, Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian languages. Frajlich is considered "not only a notable émigré poet, but, arguably, she is the most prominent Polish woman émigré poet of her generation".[15]

Scholars who study Polish emigre poetry agree that prevalent focus of her poetry are the "themes of time, change, journeys, exile, home and habituation, tamed landscapes and remembered objects, spaces lost and regained"[16] as well as the "themes of exile, emigration, dislocation, and adaptation to new cultural contexts"[17]

On October 24–25, 2016, the University of Rzeszów, which specializes in the study of post-war Polish émigré literature, hosted a conference "Tu jestem/zamieszkuję własne życie" dedicated to the life and work of Anna Frajlich.[18] The conference was co-sponsored by the Institute of Polish Philology of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, the most prestigious center of literary studies in Poland. The conference program states, "Frajlich's life and work are a microcosm of the entire twentieth century and bear witness to its tragedies, particularly the Holocaust and the Cold War. Claiming her as one of Poland's most distinguished poets is a paradigmatic revolution in itself, the fusing of exile and homeland".[19]

In 2022, the entire issue of the journal "The Polish Review" (2022, vol. 67, issue 1)[20][21] was dedicated to her.

Personal life

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Frajlich is married to Władysław Zając. She and her family currently live in New York City.[22]

Bibliography

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Selected books of poetry in Polish

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  • Aby wiatr namalować. London: Oficyna Stanisław Gliwa. 1976. OCLC 297589968.[23]
  • Tylko ziemia. London: Oficyna Poetów i Malarzy. 1979. OCLC 7353438.[24]
  • Indian Summer. Albany, NY: Sigma Press. 1982. OCLC 18225871.[25]
  • Który las. London: Oficyna Poetów i Malarzy. 1986. ISBN 9780948668050. OCLC 13345915.[26]
  • Ogrodem i ogrodzeniem. Warszawa: Czytelnik. 1993. ISBN 9788307023687. OCLC 30711944.[27]
  • Jeszcze w drodze: wybór wierszy. Warszawa: Niezależna Oficyna Wydawnicza NOWA. 1994. ISBN 9788370540777. OCLC 750691613.[28]
  • W słońcu listopada. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie. 2000. ISBN 9788308030424. OCLC 925575071.[29]
  • Znów szuka mnie wiatr. Warszawa: Czytelnik. 2001. ISBN 9788307028347. OCLC 47982254.[30]
  • Łodzią jest i jest przystanią. Szczecin-Bezrzecze: Forma. 2013. ISBN 9788363316365. OCLC 915463165.
  • W pośpiechu rzeka płynie. Szczecin-Bezrzecze: Wydawnictwo Forma; Dom Kultury 13 Muz. 2020. ISBN 9788366180468. OCLC 1192545464.[31]
  • Wiersze zebrane. t. 1, Przeszczep. Toronto: Polski Fundusz Wydawniczy w Kanadzie. 2022. ISBN 9788366759626. OCLC 1338056934.
  • Wiersze zebrane. t. 2, Powroty. Toronto: Polski Fundusz Wydawniczy w Kanadzie. 2022. ISBN 9788366759640. OCLC 1338045584.

Selected books of poetry in translation

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  • Between dawn and the wind: selected poetry. Translated by Grol-Prokopczyk, Regina. Austin, TX: Host Publications. 1991. ISBN 9780924047046. OCLC 612317540.[32]
  • Le Vent, à nouveau me cherche = Znów szuka mnie wiatr (in French and Polish). Translated by Carls, Alice-Catherine. Soisy-sur-Seine (Essonne): Editinter. 2003. ISBN 9782914227889. OCLC 401782302.
  • Un Oceano tra di noi (in Italian and Polish). Translated by Wyrembelski, Marcin. Maddaloni, Italy: La Parlesia. 2018. ISBN 9788885710009. OCLC 1310147487.
  • El tiempo no es un collar de perlas: poesía (in Spanish and Polish). Translated by Bortkiewicz, Elzbieta. Zaragoza, Spain: Sibiriana Ediciones. 2021. ISBN 9788494871573. OCLC 1262507351.
  • Ім'я батька (in Ukrainian). Translated by Makhno, Vasyl. Ternopìl': Krok. 2021. ISBN 9786176926450. OCLC 1303143729.

Selected books of prose

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  • Frajlich, Anna, ed. (2001). Between Lvov, New York and Ulysses' Ithaca: Józef Wittlin: poet, essayist, novelist. Toruń: Nicolaus Copernicus University. ISBN 9788323112464. OCLC 469638441.[33]
  • Frajlich, Anna (2007). The legacy of Ancient Rome in the Russian Silver Age. Amsterdam: Rodopi. ISBN 9789042022515. OCLC 237144580.[34]
  • Kossowska, Stefania (2007). Definicja szczęścia. Listy do Anny Frajlich 1972–2003. Archiwum Emigracji: Źródła i materiały do dziejów emigracji polskiej polskiej po 1939 roku (in Polish). Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika. ISBN 978-83-231-2073-5. Posthumously published letters to Anna Frajlich 1972–2003.
  • Bromberg, Felicja; Frajlich, Anna; Zajac, Władysław (2008). Po Marcu—Wiedeń, Rzym, Nowy Jork. Warszawa: Stowarzyszenie Midrasz. ISBN 9788392443278.[35]
  • Frajlich, Anna (2010). Laboratorium. Szczecin: Forma. ISBN 9788360881613. OCLC 690106291.[36]
  • Frajlich, Anna (2011). Czesław Miłosz. Lekcje: prywatny hołd. Szczecin-Bezrzecze: Forma. ISBN 9788360881743. OCLC 800628719.
  • Frajlich, Anna (2020). Meyer, Ronald (ed.). The ghost of Shakespeare: collected essays. Brookline, MA: Academic Studies Press. ISBN 9781644694718. OCLC 1163936108.
  • Frajlich, Anna (2023). Szymborska. Poeta poetów (in Polish). Szczecin: Forma. ISBN 978-83-67460-74-3.

Awards

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  • Kościelski Foundation (Geneva) Literary Award, 1981
  • Knight's Cross of Order of Merit, 2002
  • W. & N. Turzanski Foundation (Toronto) Literary Prize, 2003[37]
  • Honorary Ambassador of Szczecin (Ambasador Szczecina)
  • Union of Polish Writers in Exile (London) Literature Prize, 2015[38][39]
  • Wybitny Polak (Distinguished Pole in the United States), 2017[40]
  • Jubilee Medal of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland, 2020[41]
  • Szczecin University Medal, Poland, 2020[42]
  • The Susanne Lotarski Distinguished Achievement Award, 2020[43]
  • The Oscar Halecki Prize, 2021[44]
  • Wschodnia Fundacja Kultury Akcent, Lublin, Poland, 2022[45]
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References

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  1. ^ Writers Directory. Vol. 2. Gale, Cengage Learning. 2014. p. 1059. ISBN 978-1-55862-841-0.
  2. ^ Ufberg, Ross (2022). "Conversation with the dead: an interview with Anna Frajlich". The Polish Review. 67 (1). University of Illinois Press: 93–109. doi:10.5406/23300841.67.1.07. S2CID 247466430 – via EBSCO.
  3. ^ Grol, Regina (2001-06-01). "Eroticism and Exile". World Literature Today. 75 (3/4): 24. doi:10.2307/40156745. JSTOR 40156745.
  4. ^ Wörn, Achim (2017). "Jews in Szczecin, 1945–50: At the Crossroad between Emigration and Assimilation". Region. 6 (1): 55–85. doi:10.1353/reg.2017.0003. JSTOR 26377361. S2CID 133678868.
  5. ^ Pyman, Avril (2011). "The Legacy of Ancient Rome in the Russian Silver Age by Frajlich, Anna". The Slavonic and East European Review. 89 (1): 117–118. doi:10.5699/slaveasteurorev2.89.1.0117. JSTOR 10.5699/slaveasteurorev2.89.1.0117.
  6. ^ Davidson, Pamela (2009). "The Legacy of Ancient Rome in the Russian Silver Age, Anna Frajlich". The Modern Language Review. 104 (2): 618–620. doi:10.1353/mlr.2009.0227. JSTOR 25654928. S2CID 246646681.
  7. ^ Carls, Alice-Catherine; Kozaczka, Grażyna J. (2022-03-01). "Anna Frajlich: Departures, Returns, Memory". Polish Review. 67 (1): 146. doi:10.5406/23300841.67.1.11. S2CID 247464244.
  8. ^ Anders, Jaroslaw (2022). "Poetics of Loss and Dislocation: Classical Order and Personal Trauma in the Poetry of Anna Frajlich". Polish Review. 67 (1): 9–26. doi:10.5406/23300841.67.1.02. S2CID 247459112.
  9. ^ Morzyńska-Wrzosek, Beata (2022-03-01). "A Microhistory of Anna Frajlich's Émigré Experience". Polish Review. 67 (1): 61. doi:10.5406/23300841.67.1.05. S2CID 247471213.
  10. ^ Meyer, Ronald (2016). "Double identities: a profile of Anna Frajlich (-Zajac)" (PDF). columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  11. ^ "New magazine offering outlet for talents of Polish emigres". Section 1. New York Times. 1984-12-16. p. 42. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  12. ^ Haven, Cynthia, ed. (2006). Czeslaw Milosz: Conversations. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 12–23. ISBN 9781578068296.
  13. ^ Meyer, Ronald (2016). "Double identities: a profile of Anna Frajlich (-Zajac)" (PDF). Harriman Magazine (Summer 2016): 36–45.
  14. ^ "Pomeranica.pl". Pomeranica.pl. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  15. ^ Grol, Regina (2001). "Eroticism and Exile: Anna Frajlich's Poetry". World Literature Today. 75 (3/4): 22–29. doi:10.2307/40156745. JSTOR 40156745.
  16. ^ Ligęza, Wojciech (2022-03-01). "On Time Fleeting and Regained: the Poetry of Anna Frajlich". Polish Review. 67 (1): 27–40. doi:10.5406/23300841.67.1.03. S2CID 247466348.
  17. ^ Grol, Regina (2001-06-01). "Eroticism and Exile: Anna Frajlich's Poetry". World Literature Today. 75 (3/4): 22–29. doi:10.2307/40156745. JSTOR 40156745.
  18. ^ Pasterska, Jolanta (2017). "W kręgu twórczości Anny Frajlich, czyli o Międzynarodowej Konferencji Naukowej"Tu jestem / zamieszkuję własne życie". Twórczość poetycka, prozatorska i epistolarna Anny Frajlich (i nie tylko...)" (PDF). Tematy I Konteksty. 7 (12). Uniwersytet Rzeszowski: 553–556. doi:10.15584/tik.2017.41 – via Repozytorium URW.
  19. ^ Carls, Alice-Catherine (2017-03-15). "Beyond Exile: Reclaiming Anna Frajlich". World Literature Today. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  20. ^ "Polish Review". The Polish Review. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  21. ^ "'Writing Polsh in America': The Case of Anna Frajlich". University of Wisconsin-Madison. Germanic, Nordic and Slavic. 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  22. ^ Meyer, Ronald (2022-03-01). "Anna Frajlich's New York City". Polish Review. 67 (1): 119–140. doi:10.5406/23300841.67.1.10. S2CID 247462210.
  23. ^ Bau, Zdzisław (Bob) (1976) [1976-04-02]. "Poetka słysząca pękniecie ziarna w ziemi". Nowy Dziennik. p. 7.
  24. ^ Maciuszko, J. J. (1981). "Tylko Ziemia by Anna Frajlich". World Literature Today. 55 (1): 143–144. doi:10.2307/40135851. JSTOR 40135851.
  25. ^ Peretz, Maya (1982-10-28). "Indian Summer Anny Frajlich". Nowy Dziennik/Przegląd Polski. p. 7.
  26. ^ Carls, Alice-Catherine (1987). "Który las by Anna Frajlich". World Literature Today. 61 (2): 315. doi:10.2307/40143200. JSTOR 40143200.
  27. ^ Peretz, Maya (1995). "Ogrodem i ogrodzeniem [A Garden and a Fence] by Anna Frajlich". The Polish Review. 45 (1): 111–113. JSTOR 25778832.
  28. ^ Skalmowski „Arkusz" 1995, nr 5, s. 5., Wojciech (1995). "I głucho pachnie cynamonem". Arkusz (8): 5.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Dunaj, Ewa (2000). "Znów zaczynasz wierzyć". Akcent (3): 155–157 – via Polska Bibliografia Literacka.
  30. ^ Borkowska, Grażyna (2001-12-08). "Z jakiego portu płyną do jakiego". Wysokie Obcasy. p. 37.
  31. ^ Carls, Alice-Catherine (2021). "Anna Frajlich. W pośpiechu rzeka płynie (review)". World Literature Today. 95 (1): 94–95. doi:10.1353/wlt.2021.0224. S2CID 245663092 – via Project Muse.
  32. ^ Carls, Alice-Catherine (1992). "Between Dawn and the Wind: Selected Poetry by Anna Frajlich, Regina Grol-Prokopczyk". World Literature Today. 66 (2): 370–371. doi:10.2307/40148274. JSTOR 40148274.
  33. ^ Krzyżanowski, Jerzy R. (2001). "Reviewed Work: Between Lvov, New York and Ulysses' Ithaca: Józef Wittlin-Poet Essayist, Novelist by Anna Frajlich". World Literature Today. 75 (2): 389. doi:10.2307/40156699. JSTOR 40156699.
  34. ^ Bird, Robert (2013). "Anna Frajlich. The Legacy of Ancient Rome in the Russian Silver Age". Canadian-American Slavic Studies. 47 (1): 98–99. doi:10.1163/22102396-04701012 – via Brill.
  35. ^ Cybulska, Maja (2009). "Przecież jesteśmy młodzi". Tydzień Polski (London). No. 8. p. 4.
  36. ^ Jutkiewicz-Kubiak : . Midrasz nr 1 s. 60, Katarzyna (2011). "W poszukiwaniu dymu z komina". Midrasz (1): 60.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ "W.&N. Turzański Foundation Award: Anna Frajlich-Zając". culture.pl. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  38. ^ "Personages" (PDF). NewsNet: News for the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies. 56 (1): 30. 2016.
  39. ^ "Literacka podróż Anny Frajlich". Związek Pisarzy Polskich na Obczyźne (ZPPNO). 2016-12-05. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  40. ^ "Wybitny Polak". Wybitny Polak. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  41. ^ "Anna Frajlich Awarded Jubilee Medal of John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin". harriman.columbia.edu. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  42. ^ "Uniwersytet Szczeciński uhonorował Annę Frajlich". 24Kurier.pl. 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  43. ^ "PIASA (Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America) News". piasa.org. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  44. ^ "Polish American Historical Association Awards: Oscar Halecki Prize". Polish American Historical Association. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  45. ^ "Anna Frajlich Awarded Medal by the Akcent Cultural Foundation (Lublin)". harriman.columbia.edu. 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
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