In Purest Sorrow (Polish: W żalu najczystszym) is a hand-made volume of poetry by Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński from 1942.[2]

In Purest Sorrow
National Library of Poland
Also known asW żalu najczystszym
Date1942
Language(s)Polish
Size23×14 cm, 20 leaves[1]
AccessionRps 7978 I[1]

Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński was the greatest Polish poet of the Generation of Columbuses.[3] He died in 1944 in the Warsaw Uprising.[3] The volume was the poet's wedding gift to his wife, Barbara Baczyńska (née Drapczyńska).[2] It was hand-written and ornamented by the poet himself.[3] The manuscript consists of 20 thick, light brown leaves sewn together with cotton filament.[3] Each of the 18 poems in the volume, written in Baczyński's own hand, opens with a large colourful initial.[3] Beneath the autographs of 13 poems are small watercolours painted by the poet.[3]

The manuscript was purchased by the National Library of Poland in 1963 from Baczyński's mother-in-law, Feliksa Drapczyńska. In 2021, the volume was inscribed on UNESCO’S Memory of the World Register.[2] From May 2024, the manuscript is presented at the permanent exhibition in the Palace of the Commonwealth.[4][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "In Purest Sorrow". Polona (in Polish). National Library of Poland. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  2. ^ a b c d Makowski & Sapała 2024, p. 193.
  3. ^ a b c d e f More precious than gold 2003, section ″Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński’s Poetry″.
  4. ^ "Palace of the Commonwealth open to visitors". National Library of Poland. 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-06-11.

Bibliography

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