Maria Cyranowicz

(b. 1974) – poet, literary critic and performer.

She has published the poetry collections “neutralizacje” (neutralisations, 1997), “i magii nacja” (i mage nation, 2001), “piąty element to fiksja” (the fifth element is fixion, 2004), “psychodelicje” (psychedelicious, 2006), “denpresja” (denpression, 2009) and “machinacje” (machinations, 2024). In 2001–2002 she edited the art and literature bimonthly “Meble”, from 2006 to 2013 she was an editorial team member at the experimental magazine “Wakat”. Signatory of the “Manifest neolingwistyczny” (Neolinguistic Manifesto, 2002), which called for a critical exploration of public language and formalised discourses, harking back to the tradition of twentieth-century avant-garde manifestos, the post-structuralist concept of language, and the ideology of New Wave poets. Co-author of two landmark anthologies: “Gada !zabić? Pa]n[tologia neolingwizmu” (Kill !Reptile? A Pa]n[thology of Neolinguism, 2005) and the first Polish anthology of female-authored poetry, “Solistki” (Soloists, 2009). In 2004 she started working on the typographic design of her own books, collaborating with visual artists including Marek Sobczyk and Zbigniew Libera.

She presents stage and audiovisual works. Cyranowicz’s books often function within the sphere of post-constructivism; the author treats the poem like an object, similar to a work of art, emphasising its material dimension. She is known to experiment with orthography. Longtime Polish teacher at Warsaw high schools, involved in many feminist and queer initiatives. Her poems have been translated into English, German, Czech, Ukrainian and Hungarian.