Wojciech Kudyba

(b. 1965) – a poet, prose writer, critic and literary historian.

Wojciech Kudyba made his debut as a poet published in the 1994 volume ‘Wierność w małej rzeczy’ (Faith in the Small Things). A characteristic of his poetic diction is the ‘effect of a shifted form’ (to use the author’s term). He questions worn out phrases, tears apart collocations. At the same time, Kudyba’s poems emanate simplicity and clarity, which come from the poet’s desire to give greater meaning to seemingly unimportant and minor everyday experiences. In this language, Kudyba notes reflections rooted deeply in a Catholic spirituality. He also often draws from motifs of the family, home and local surroundings. His works are shows of constantly renewed acts of trust in the goodness that is created. In 2007, Kudyba published ‘Gorce Pana’ (Gorce of the Lord). In poems tied to various places in the Gorce region, the poet contemplated the condition of the human soul and its transformations when confronting the beauty of the local nature.

Over time, Kudyba began to write in prose as well. In 2015, he released his first novel, ‘Nazywam się Majdan’ (My Name Is Majdan). Its protagonist is Petro Majdan, a Ukrainian Cultural Studies PhD, an intellectual whose heart is in his tortured homeland. The language stylised on old Polish helps the author avoid sentimentality and pathos. Published in 2020, ‘I co dalej?’ (And What Next?) is a short-story collection. In these terse forms, Kudyba sketched original portraits of ordinary protagonists whose voice rings out loud and clear. The critics pointed out Kudyba’s firm foothold in everyday life, and the empathy and sensitivity they show.

Seeking his place in various types of prose, Kudyba turned to the historical novel. This led to a two-volume epic detailing the fate of the Pułaski family in the Stanisławów era. He depicts a whole range of Polish attitudes toward the looming loss of independence, avoiding facile judgments.

Wojciech Kudyba has also written numerous papers on contemporary literature, he is an academic lecturer and juror for literary prizes and an active literary critic. Both his scholarly and literary work stand out for their sophisticated language and clear, identifiable style.

Kudyba has won numerous poetry competitions, including the Rainer Maria Rilke Competition and the Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński Poetry Contest in Pranie. In 2008, he was honoured with the Józef Mackiewicz Award for Gorce of the Lord. For the novella collection ‘Kamienica’ (The Tenement House) he was nominated for the Józef Mackiewicz Award (2019). His works have been printed in numerous foreign journals and anthologies, translated into English, German, French, Slovak, Russian and Turkish.