ID: OS-001304-P

Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński

Powstaniec:
participant in the Warsaw Uprising
First name:
Krzysztof Kamil
Last Name:
Baczyński
Pseudonym:
„Jan Bugaj", „Emil", „Jan Krzyski", „Krzysztof", „Piotr Smugosz", „Krzysztof Zieliński", „Krzyś".
Parents:
Stanisław i Stefania z domu Zieleńczyk
Date of birth:
22-01-1921
Place of birth:
Warszawa
Date of death:
04-08-1944
Age:
23
Profession:
insurgent, military / soldier, poet, scout
participant in the Warsaw Uprising
Grade:
kpr. podch.
Honours and awards:
Krzyż Komandorski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski
Biography:

Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński was born in Warsaw as the only son of Stanisław Baczyński, a writer and literary critic, and Stefania, née Zieleńczyk, a teacher. He was brought up in a literary and patriotic atmosphere, which influenced his later work. He began his education at the Stefan Batory Private Gymnasium and Secondary School for the Humanities in Warsaw, which he completed by passing his matriculation exam in 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II. During his time in secondary school, he belonged to the Organisation of Socialist Youth "Spartakus", a semi-legal organisation of secondary school students under the auspices of the PPS.

After the outbreak of war and the closure of Polish schools by the German occupiers, Baczyński continued his education at clandestine classes, studying Polish Studies at the clandestine University of Warsaw from autumn 1943 to summer 1943. Already at this time he was involved in underground activity, joining the Grey Ranks, a scouting organisation involved in the resistance movement.

In 1942, Baczyński married Barbara Drapczyńska, whom he met at the University. Their relationship, although short, was deep and full of poetic love, which was reflected in the poet's numerous poems.

In addition to poetry, he also drew and painted, and his prints, often illustrations to his own poems, show a different, visual side to his work. His wartime poetry and art were strongly rooted in the realities of occupied Warsaw, and the influence of catastrophism, as well as Expressionism, can be seen in his work.

In 1943, Baczynski joined the Home Army. From July 1943, he was in the 2nd platoon "Alek" of the 2nd "Rudy" company of the "Zośka" Home Army battalion. He was also the head of the poetry section of the socio-literary monthly "Droga".His poems from this period, such as "Elegia o.... Polish boy", became an expression of the experiences of the young generation who grew up in the shadow of war, ready to make sacrifices in the name of higher ideals.

On the afternoon of 4 August, he was killed in Blanka Palace by a bullet from a German sniper. The poet was buried in a mass grave with other insurgents, found during exhumation in 1947. Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński and his wife Barbara are buried together in the Military Powazki cemetery (cemetery section 22A-2-25). However, the memory of him and his work is still alive, and Baczyński's poems are part of the canon of Polish literature and school readings, constituting a lasting testament to the young generation who sacrificed their lives in the fight for Poland's freedom.

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