![[Baranczak Picture]](Baranczak_St.JPG)
Baranczak, Stanislaw
Born in Poznan, October 13, 1946; literary historian, poet, critic, translator. Finished his Polish Studies in 1968 at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (UAM), and defended his doctoral thesis in 1973. First he was an assistant (1969-1977) than an adjunct (1980-81) lecturer in the Polish Philology Institute, Department of Literary Theory at UAM from where he was fired for political activities in the Workers' Defense Committee (KOR). In 1981 he emigrated to the United States. From 1981 to 1984 he was a professor then (1984) Chair of Polish Language and Literature in at the Slavic Department at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. During 1987-90 he was the editor in chief of the quarterly "Polish Review" then (from 1990) edited books in the series entitled English Language Poet's Library. While in Poznan (1964-69) he worked in the student "Eighth Day" theater. He published in the independent press in Poznan and nationally [in Poland], and also in the Paris based Polish language "Kultura" magazine, "Zeszyty Literackie" [Literary Notebooks] (as co editor), in the London based "Puls" [Pulse] and the international press, mainly in America. He received scholarships: American Council for Learned societies (1987); Gugenheim Foundation (1989). He is the author of many translations (including Shakespeare), editorial writings, and book publications, among these "Korekta Twarzy" [Facial Reconstruction] 1968; "Etyka i Poetyka" [Ethics and Poetry] 1979; "Uciekinier Utopii. O Poezji Zbigniewa Herberta" [Runaway from Utopia. About the Poetry of Zbigniew Herbert] 1984; "Przed i po" [Before and after] 1988; "Tablica z Macondo. Osiemnascie prob wytlumaczenia po co i dlaczego sie pisze" [Tablet from Macondo. Eighteen attempts to explain the reasons and why one writes] 1990; "Zaufac nieufnosci. Osiem rozmow o sensie poezji" [Trust mistrust. Eight conversations about the meaning of poetry] 1993; "Pegaz zdebial" [Pegasus froze] 1995; "Zimy i podroze" [Winter and travels] 1997. He is the recipient of many awards including: Koscielski Foundation in Geneva (1972); Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation, New York (1980). He was a member of many Polish societies, abroad he is a member of the Union of Polish Writers Abroad (from 1980); the Fund to Aid Independent Polish Literature and Culture in Paris (from 1982); the Awards Committee for the POLCUL Foundation in Australia (from 1982); the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in America (from 1989) and Society of Polish Writers (1989). In 1982 he received a Honorary Doctorate from Curry College in Milton.
[Sources:] "Wielka Encyclopedia PWN" [The Great PWN Encyclopedia] vol. 3, Warsaw 2001; "Wspolczesni polscy pisarze i badacze literatury: Slownik bibiliograficzny" [Contemporary Polish writers and researchers of literature: Bibliographical directory] edited by J. Czachowska and A. Szalagan, vol. 1 Warsaw 1994; "Encyclopedyczny slownik slawnych polakow" [Encyclopedic directory of famous Poles] edited by J. Borowiec, Warsaw 1996; A. And Z. Judyccy, "Polonia. Slownik biograficzny" [Polonia. Biographical directory] warsaw 2000; D. Pawelec "Poezja Stanislawa Baranczaka. Reguly i konteksty" [The Poetry of Stanislaw Baranczak. Rules and contexts] Katowice 1992; K. Biedrzynski, "Swiat Stanislawa Baranczaka" [The world of Stanislaw Baranczak] Krakow 1995; J. Dembinska-Pawelec. "Swiaty mozliwe w poezji Stanislawa Baranczaka" [The possible worlds in the poetry of Stanislaw Baranczak] Katowice, 1999.
[Author:] Kazimierz Dopierala
From: "Encyklopedia Polskiej Emigracji i Polonii" Edited by: Kazimierz Dopierala, Vol. I, Oficyna Wydawnicza Kucharski, Torun, Poland, 2003.
Stanislaw Baranczak
Polish literature educator, poet, author
Born Nov. 13, 1946, Poznan, Poland; came to U.S., 1981; son of Jan and Zofia (Konopinska); married Anna (Brylka); children: Michal, Anna.
Education: M.A., 1969, Ph.D., 1973, A. Mickiewicz University, Poznan; Doctor honoris causa, Curry College, Milton (MA), 1983.
Career: assistant, adjunct, Institute of Polish Philology, A. Mickiewicz University, 1969-77; associate prof., 1981-84, A. Jurzykowski (Foundation) prof. of Polish language and culture, 1984 -, Harvard University, Cambridge (MA).
Author: over 50 books and translations from English and Russian on history of literature, literature criticism, poems, dramas, i.a. of W. Shakespeare.
Member of: Polish Authors Union - Zwiazek Literatow Polskich (ZLP), Polish Authors Association - Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich (SPP), (Poland); Union of Polish Authors Abroad.
Honors: literature awards, Koscielski Foundation, 1973, A. Jurzykowski Foundation, 1981, Polish PEN-Club, 1990.
Languages: Polish, English, Russian.
Home: 8 Brookdale Rd, Newton, MA 02160
From: "Who's Who in Polish America" 1st Edition 1996-1997, Boleslaw Wierzbianski editor; Bicentennial Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, 1996