Jacek Kaczmarski (1957-2004) was a prolific Polish song-writer, poet, and singer, commonly known for his participation in the Polish Solidarity movements against the communist regime. He was an active artist from 1977 to 2004, in the latter period of the Polish people’s turbulent transition from communism and its aftermath.
After his performance debut in student song festivals, Kaczmarski spent 1981 to 1990 in emigration. This was the result of the declaration of martial law in Poland during the artist’s tour in France. For most of this time Kaczmarski worked for ‘Radio Free Europe’ in Munich. He also performed in western Europe, north America, Israel, and Australia where he settled in the mid-90s.
Although Kaczmarski’s songs were vocal in criticising the political system in Poland, the singer’s stance towards the communist regime was more ambivalent than the popular imagination might suggest. Kaczmarski and some of his songs still function as symbols of resistance due to a commonly misinterpreted and extremely popular song ‘Mury’ (Walls), as well as ‘Obława’ (Hunt) which were often sung during anti-communist events by oppositionists.
Yet, many of his songs were dedicated to non-political themes, for example, personal, lyrical or metaphysical observations, and the author himself commented on his problematic identification as ‘Solidarity Bard’. Kaczmarski’s vivid, often politically driven lyrics and charismatic, dynamic guitar music circulated illegally throughout Poland in drugi obieg which made his voice one of the most recognisable in his generation. Despite a wide range of non-political themes present in his songs, Kaczmarski’s interactions with communism, often through friends, family and his native audience, deeply informed his artistic work.
Kaczmarski’s relationship with the Greek and Roman classics was also complex. He was born into an artistic family and educated in Polish language and literature at the University of Warsaw. He read widely and had extensive contacts with artistic and literary circles in Europe and America.
This is reflected in his rich and varied artistic creation, which drew upon early modern and modern western art, European and national history. Though he never learned Latin and Greek, Kaczmarski knew well and creatively engaged with several classical texts. His receptiveness of biblical themes and the Graeco-Roman myths and history are evident in at least 12 songs which testify to the richness and complexity of Kaczmarski’s reception of the ancient world.
These songs reflect the singer’s personal experience and artistic sensitivity to the human condition. They throw light on his precarious position in a politically and culturally volatile world, and comment on his quest to find universal truth and meaning in classical antiquity.
A prominent example of Kaczmarki’s ‘classical’ songs is ‘Starość Owidiusza’ (‘Ovid’s ageing’). The number of possible parallels and shared experiences between Kaczmarski’s creative life and the songs is staggering. He heroises Ovid’s exile, emphasising the separation from his culture and the lack of appreciation for Greek poetry among the locals. As a young poet and musical performer composing in his native language, but isolated from Polish listeners by the Iron Curtain, Kaczmarski cleverly uses Ovid’s myth as a reflection of his own forced emigration.
But the poem is much more than an expression of personal difficulties. Kaczmarski’s reconstruction of Ovid’s lamentation allows him to explore a variety of themes: political censorship, promiscuous sexuality, cultural interactions in a colonial setting, the preservation of tradition, and the power of poetry, evoking senses and images of the world now lost. The nostalgic character of the closing lines, as well as Kaczmarski’s contemplation of Ovid’s legacy for future artistic endeavours, serve as a reminder that even when the Polish singer worked in the shadow of communism, his poetry was not simply reactive to the Soviet influence on Poland. As the poem attests, Kaczmarski’s creative work remained deeply personal and rich in artistic reflection that drew upon classical inspirations. Read more on ‘Starość Owidiusza’ here.
Ultimately, these songs reveal the vagaries of Kaczmarski’s reception of antiquity, which was richly mediated by imageries, myths and historical events across several media forms, including paintings, drama and tapestries.
This profile was written by Pawel Borowski
