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On 28 July 1998, Zbigniew Herbert's life came to an end, after a lengthy battle with asthma and various circulatory problems. Not so experimental in his poetry as his contemporary, Tadeusz Rozewicz, nor as easily accessible to readers as the 1996 Nobel laureate, Wislawa Szymborska, Herbert nonetheless was the moral force of his generation. He belonged to no school of poets, nor did he espouse any philosophical movement. And yet, like the poetry of his distant relative, the English poet George Herbert, his poetry moved in metaphysical spheres and was rooted in the classical tradition. But above all, his preoccupation was with contemporary themes, especially the isolation of the individual vis-a-vis political systems. His was the clarion voice of the disenfranchised.
Herbert was never a member of a political group or party. His moral stance against the abuse of power and his opposition to communist dogma prevented him from being published in Poland until after the 1956 thaw. When his first book of poems was published in 1956, it was clear that a major poet had made his way onto the literary scene. He was quickly recognized as one of the leading poets of his generation. From the very beginning, critics commented on his ironic distance and the original function of classical motifs in his poetry. They were also aware of the gentle skepticism that pervaded all his work.
A poet, playwright, and essay writer, Herbert excelled in all three genres. He was born in L'vov (Lwow), then part of Poland and now in the Ukraine. He was clearly affected by the vicissitudes of the city of his birth, which changed hands so many times in the twentieth century that it can easily be classified as the prime example of a mobile city. His birthplace was a constant reminder of the chaos of the times.
Herbert began his studies in Polish philology in the underground university in 1943. He was also a soldier of the Home Army during this period. L'vov became the symbol of despair for Herbert....