Dominik Bielicki

(b. 1976) – a poet and a programmer.

His poetry is a laconic, humorous depiction of the everyday – both in the present and the past – created by scenes from family life, buildings from early 21^st-century Warsaw or overheard conversations. He steers clear of pathos and nostalgia. Recollections appear only to better understand the present.

“Pawilony” (Malls) is a poetry volume about the beginning of the 21^st century. The setting is Warsaw with all the monuments of millennial architecture. The titular malls – where once you “could get a hold of anything” – now stand empty. These are accompanied by other memories from adolescence – Monika Olejnik’s laughter, Odra jeans and Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters. The book revolves around these elements of the past as recorded by Bielicki. Malls is a story of growing up during a political transformation and its questionable aftermath. The subject, always associated with Warsaw and observing the city throughout the years, notices the broken promises of the beginning of the 21^st century, while also retaining a playful tone, with no irony.

In “Wielki ping-pong” (The Great Ping-Pong) the poet brings up names, titles and phenomena related to the dawn of the new millennium. This time he focuses on the individual experience of adolescence. When family members move out of the family home, one has to sort through the old “toys”. It’s not the protruding teeth that are a worry now, but buying an apartment, a car, moving house, redecorating. The role of the grown-up sparks more questions – can one still feel like a loser when one is a husband and a father? Can one paddle in the water on the Zawady beach? Yes – and one can do it with a smile. Bielicki is not escaping the present moment, and isn’t looking for his inner “eternal child”. But he is looking for ways to manage everyday life. And if there’s something “unserious” about it, that’s just how it is.

In 2009 the poet received a distinction at the Golden Mean of Poetry National Literary Competition for the volume “Gruba tańczy” (The Fatty Dances). In 2018 he received the Gdynia Literary Prize for the book Malls, which was also nominated for the Silesius Poetry Award. In 2024 he received the latter prize for The Great Ping-Pong.