Philatelic issue for literature lovers: Wisława Szymborska on a new Polish Post stamp
Wisława Szymborska is one of the Patron Saints of 2023, established by the Senate of the Republic of Poland, whose image has been honored with a dedicated postage stamp. The philatelic product entered circulation to mark the 100th anniversary of the Polish poet's birth and was created in cooperation with the Wisława Szymborska Foundation. The anniversary issue is available in 144,000 copies.
The stamp's graphic designer, Roch Stefaniak, depicted a portrait photograph of Wisława Szymborska with her characteristic smile. The issue is accompanied by a First Day of Circulation (FDC) envelope featuring a manuscript of Wisława Szymborska's poem "The Joy of Writing." This poem is one of her most famous and representative works.
The life and work of Wisława Szymborska
Wisława Szymborska (2 July 1923 – 1 February 2012) – Polish poet, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
From 1929, she lived in Kraków, and from 1945 to 1948, she studied Polish philology and sociology at the Jagiellonian University. Her poetic debut came in March 1945, when her poem "Looking for a Word" was published in a supplement to "Dziennik Polski." For many years, she worked for the Kraków weekly "Życie Literackie," where she edited the poetry section and wrote a regular column, "Lektury nadprackowe."
Throughout her career, she published 13 volumes of poetry, including "That's Why We Live" (1952), "Calling Out to Yeti" (1957), "People on the Bridge" (1986), and "Here" (2009). Her work has been translated into over forty languages. She also published poetry translations, primarily from French and German.
Wisława Szymborska received numerous prestigious awards, including the Goethe Prize (1991), the Herder Prize (1995), the Nobel Prize (1996), and the Order of the White Eagle (2011). She was also an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Great Poles in miniature works of art
The issue dedicated to Wisława Szymborska is a continuation of the issues dedicated to well-known and important personalities for the country, awarded by the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland as Patrons of the Year 2023.
In June of this year, the Polish Post introduced a postcard dedicated to Jan Matejko. Walor presents the paintings "Self-Portrait" (1887) and "Wernyhora" (1884), which belong to the collection of the National Museum in Krakow.
In January, the Company issued a postage stamp with a portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus from the epitaph of the Archcathedral Basilica in Frombork.
In February, two items were released: an envelope with a printed postage mark featuring the Nicolaus Copernicus House in Toruń and a joint stamp of the Polish Post and the Vatican Post presenting the work of Jan Matejko entitled "The Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, or a Conversation with God".
About the stamp:
stamp designer: Roch Stefaniak
number of stamps: 1
value: PLN 3.90
circulation: 144,000 pcs
printing technique: offset
stamp format: 31.25 mm x 39.5 mm
sales sheet: 12 stamps in tête-bêche layout
paper: fluorescent
date of circulation: 07/07/2023