Irish poet awarded Herbert Prize
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
06.03.2018 08:00
Irish poet Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill is the recipient of the 2018 Herbert International Literary Prize, named after the prominent Polish poet Zbigniew Herbert (1924-1998).
Photo: DariuszSankowski//pixabay.com/CC0 Creative Commons
The verdict of a panel of renowned Polish and foreign writers and critics was announced in Warsaw on Monday. The awards ceremony will be held in the Polish capital on May 10.
Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, 66, is one of the most prominent poets writing in the Irish Gaelic language.
Her poetry focuses on Irish themes, ranging from ancient myths to details of contemporary life. Her verse has been translated into English by a number of well-known Irish poets, including Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney.
Past recipients of the Herbert Prize, which was founded in 2013, include South African writer and painter Breyten Breytenbach (2017), Swedish poet, prose writer and playwright Lars Gustafsson (2016), Polish poet Ryszard Krynicki (2015), American poet William Stanley Merwin (2014), and Serbian-born American poet Charles Simic (2013).
Zbigniew Herbert was one of the most influential 20th-century Polish poets, essayists and moralists.
His most popular works include ‘Struna swiatła’ (The Chord of Light), ‘Hermes, pies i gwiazda’ (Hermes, Dog and Star), ‘Barbarzynca w ogrodzie’ (The Barbarian in the Garden) and ‘Pan Cogito’ (Mr. Cogito).
An anti-communist, Herbert gave his wholehearted support to the Solidarity movement. After the imposition of martial law in December 1981, his poems were recited at clandestine Solidarity meetings.
Herbert is one of the most translated post-war Polish writers. His works have been translated into 38 languages. (mk/pk)