WAZYK, ADAM

born Nov. 17, 1905, Warsaw, Pol. died Aug. 13, 1982, Warsaw Polish poet and novelist who began his career as a propagandist for but ended as a fierce opponent of Stalinism. Wazyk's earliest volumes of poetry, Semafory (1924; "Semaphores") and Oczy i usta (1926; "Eyes and Lips"), were written between the ages of 17 and 20 and reflect the instability of life in Poland after World War I and the pervasive sense of loss left in its wake. Wazyk became a social activist during the 1930s and was jailed for his beliefs from 1932 to 1939. Exiled to the Soviet Union during World War II, he became a confirmed Marxist. After his return to Poland, Wazyk devoted himself to the communist cause. Named the "poet laureate of the 'People's Poland,' " he was also the editor from 1946 to 1950 of Kuznica ("The Anvil") and from 1950 to 1954 of the literary journal Twrczosc. In the mid-1950s Wazyk was sent to Krakw to write an article about a nearby industrial town. His observations there led him to become a fierce opponent of Stalin, and these feelings were expressed in "Poemat dla doroslych" ("A Poem for Adults"), published in the journal Nowa kultura in 1955. This poem in 15 parts makes a plea for freedom and in one of many powerful images refers to people being forced to swallow brine they are told is lemonade. The poem had a huge political impact; although the government tried to suppress it, copies were passed from hand to hand in Poland and Hungary, students rioted, and Wazyk became a hero.