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Poems Have
Their Own Fates
Marlena Zynger talks to Maria Duszka
You were born in 1960 in Zduńska Wola. But you live in Sieradz. You once mentioned dur- ing our correspondence that your heart re- mained in Małyń and partly in Szadek (your grandparents’ place of living). Tell us about Małyń and Szadek. I understand these plac- es as associated with your happy childhood... Urban children usually mention having grand- parents in the countryside. I experienced the opposite. I lived with my parents in the coun- tryside, whereas my grandparents in Szadek, a small town. Małyń is a village situated in the Zadzim commune, in the Poddębice district. In ancient times, it used to be a town – until the Swedish Deluge. It’s surrounded by forests and meadows, upon three rivers. That’s where I grew up. The center of my world. I wrote in one of my poems that wherever I was I would miss Małyń.
I have five younger brothers. As the oldest sibling, I had the most work to do. But at my grandparents’ house in Szadek, I could relax, play with my cousins, and read books. I re- call only good memories from there. Marek Niedźwiecki, a well-known radio presenter, also comes from Szadek. I’m his true fan and recently I’ve learned that before becoming a radio presenter, he applied for a job at the local library. I also tried to get a job there once – neither of us succeeded.
You made your debut with Jerzy Leszin. In 1981 and then in 1985, several of your po- ems were published in the Nowy Medyk mag- azine. How did that happen? How did you meet Leszin?
As a schoolgirl at the Secondary School of Eco- nomics in Łask, I met Sławomir Cieślikowski,
166 LiryDram styczeń–marzec 2025