They met for the very last time in April 1968 in Los Angeles. Marek Hłasko died in 1969. Osiecka received his typewriter and kept it on her desk till her death.
In September 2010, Agora Publishing House published a tome of letters between Agnieszka Osiecka and Jeremi Przybora from 1964-1966. Thanks to the permission of Agata Passent and Przybora’s son the correspondence of two people with a very strong secret relationship was presented to audiences. Some of Osiecka’s and Przybora’s lyrics (such as Inwokacja Bez Ciebie and S.O.S by Przybora and Mówiłam Żartem, Na Całych Jeziorach Ty by Osiecka) were in fact a undercover messages exchanged between clandestine lovers.
Life After Life
Agnieszka Osiecka, Budapest, 1966, photo: Lucjan Fogiel / Forum
Osiecka wrote her last songs and plays for Atelier Theatre in Sopot between 1994 and 1996. They were recognised by critics as the most interesting of her output. In 1997 she became a patron of Sopot Theatre. A concert hall of Polish Radio Channel III has been named after her.
The poetess never denied her alcohol problems and died on 7th of March 1997 as a result of cancer of the large intestine. She was buried at Powązki Cemetery.
The heritage of Agnieszka Osiecka is being looked after by the foundation Okularnicy (Eggheads), which was founded by her daughter Agata Passent. Amongst many other activities, the foundation is working on publishing consecutive tomes of Osiecka’s songbook. Several biographies have been published about her life, such as Nikomu Nie Żal Pięknych Kobiet (No One Feels Bad for Beautiful Women) by Zofia Turowska (2020). She is also the subject of a TV series titled Osiecka, which was released in 2020.
Trivia
In 1982 she won Coca-Cola's contest for a new slogan for the brand. Her Cocacola to jest to! (Coca-cola, this is it!) slogan remains very popular to date.
Some of the quotes from her songs became popular Polish sayings e.g. ‘Zielono mi’ (I am feeling green) or ‘Dziś prawdziwych Cyganów już nie ma’ (In the present day, there are no true Gypsies left).
Author: Janusz R. Kowalczyk, March 2014, translated with edits by W.O. March 2014.
Works
Selected songs
"A ja wolę moją mamę" (music: Majka Jeżowska, performed by Majka Jeżowska)
"Ballada o pancernych" (music: Adam Walaciński, performed by Edmund Fetting)
"Ballada wagonowa" (music:Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Będę czekać" (music: Michel Legrand, performed by Stenia Kozłowska)
"Bossanova do poduszki" (music:Jacek Mikuła, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Cyrk nocą" (music: Jacek Mikuła, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Czarodzieje" (music: Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Skaldowie)
"Damą być" (music:Jacek Mikuła, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Diabeł i raj" (music: Katarzyna Gaertner, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Dookoła noc się stała" (music:Adam Sławiński, performed by Łucja Prus)
"Dzikuska" (music:L. Bogdanowicz, performed by Violetta Villas)
"Dziś prawdziwych Cyganów już nie ma" (music: Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Maryla Rodowicz; Edyta Górniak)
"Ja mam szczęście do wszystkiego" (music:Lucjan Maria Kaszycki, performed by Hanna Rek)
"Jak pięknie jest umierać między gołębiami" (music: Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Grażyna Łobaczewska)
"Kiedy mi przyjdzie zasnąć na dłużej" (music:Violetta Villas, performed by Violetta Villas)
"Kochankowie z ulicy Kamiennej" (music:Wojciech Solarz, performed by Elżbieta Czyżewska; Sława Przybylska; Anna Prucnal; Krystyna Tkacz;)
"Kolega maj" (music: Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, performed by Ewa Bem)
"Komu weselne dzieci" (music:Katarzyna Gaertner, performed by Urszula Sipińska)
"Króliczek" (music: Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Skaldowie)
"Ludzkie gadanie" (music:Seweryn Krajewski, performed byMaryla Rodowicz)
"Małgośka" (music: Katarzyna Gaertner, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Mechaniczna lalka" (music: Violetta Villas, performed by Violetta Villas)
"Mój pierwszy bal" (music: Franciszka Leszczyńska, performed by Kalina Jędrusik)
"Mówiłam żartem" (music:Jarosław Abramow, performed by Iga Cembrzyńska; Krystyna Janda)
"Na całych jeziorach - ty" (music: Adam Sławiński, performed by Teresa Tutinas; Kalina Jędrusik; Hanna Banaszak; Katarzyna Nosowska)
"Najpiękniejsza" (music: Seweryn Krajewski, performed by Seweryn Krajewski)
"Na zakręcie" (music:Przemysław Gintrowski, performed by. Krystyna Janda)
"Nie całuj mnie pierwsza" (music: Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Skaldowie)
"Nie ma jak pompa" (music: Jacek Mikuła, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Nie spoczniemy" (music: Seweryn Krajewski, performed by Czerwone Gitary)
"Nie żałuję" (music: Seweryn Krajewski, performed by Edyta Geppert)
"Niech żyje bal" (music:Seweryn Krajewski, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Nim wstanie dzień" (music:Krzysztof Komeda, performed by Edmund Fetting; do filmu "Prawo i pięść")
"Od nocy do nocy" (music: Waldemar Kazanecki, performed by Halina Kunicka; Edyta Górniak; do filmu "Noce i dnie")
"Odpowiednia pogoda na szczęście" (music and performed by Seweryn Krajewski)
"Okularnicy" (music: Jarosław Abramow, performed by Kazimiera Utrata; Zofia Kucówna; Sława Przybylska; Tadeusz Łomnicki)
"Polska Madonna" (music: Andrzej Sikorowski, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Sing Sing" (music: Jacek Mikuła, performed by Maryla Rodowicz)
"Szaloną być" (music:Violetta Villas, performed by Violetta Villas)
"Sztuczny miód" (music:Krzysztof Paszek, performed by Barbara Krafftówna; Katarzyna Groniec)
"Śpiewam, bo muszę" (music: Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Skaldowie)
"Uciekaj moje serce" (music and performed by Seweryn Krajewski - do serialu "Jan Serce"; Stanisław Sojka)
"Ulica japońskiej wiśni" (music: Jerzy Satanowski, performed by Barbara Dziekan)
"W żółtych płomieniach liści" (music: Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Łucja Prus with Skaldowie)
"Weselne dzieci" (music: Katarzyna Gaertner, performed by Urszula Sipińska; Magda Umer; Krystyna Janda; Maryla Rodowicz)
"Wieczór na dworcu w Kansas City" (music:Andrzej Zieliński, performed by Skaldowie)
"Zielono mi" (music: Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, performed by Andrzej Dąbrowski; Katarzyna Nosowska; Ania Dąbrowska)
Books
"Kolory", songs (1963)
"Wyszłam i nie wróciłam", songs (1969)
"Dzień dobry Eugeniuszu", for children (1969)
"Listy śpiewające", songs (1970)
"Zabiłam ptaka w locie", novel (1970)
"Dixie", for children (1972, 1975)
"Wzór na diabelski ogon", (1974)
"Sztuczny miód", skits (1977)
"Imionnik z kwiatem", (1979)
"Wada serca", (1981)
"Na wolności. Dziennik dla Adama", dedicated to Adam Michnik, (1985, published 2008)
"Kolęda myszki", for children (1985)
"Żywa reklama", songs (1985)
"Szpetni czterdziestoletni", memories (1985, 1987)
"Szczególnie małe sny", for children (1986)
"Biała bluzka", storybook (1988)
"Ptakowiec", for children (1988)
"Śpiewające piaski", songs (1989)
"Czarna wiewiórka", novel (1989)
"Salon gier", novel(1990)
"Zabawy poufne", esseys (1990)
"Opisanie szopki", songs (1991)
"Rozmowy w tańcu", memories (1992)
"Fotonostalgia" (1993)
"Na początku był negatyw", memories (1996)
"Wielki śpiewnik Agnieszki Osieckiej" (2004- )
Plays scripts (selection):
"Ptaki" (1960)
"Oskarżeni" (1961)
"Przesada. Wodewil" (1961)
"Niech no tylko zakwitną jabłonie" (1964)
"Apetyt na czereśnie" (1968)
"Dziś straszy" (1972)
"Łotrzyce" (1974)
"Śnieżyca" (1992)
"Wilki" (1995)
"Sztukmistrz z Lublina" (1998)
"Darcie pierza" (1998)
"Pan Marimba" (1998)
CD albums:
"Pięć oceanów" - 5 CD - box with Osiecks'a songs
"Osiecka" - Katzrzyna Nosowska's album
"Czy te oczy mogą kłamać" - album by Raz, Dwa, Trzy
"Buty 2" - album by Maryla Rodowicz
Awards:
1997 - Order of the Rebirth of Poland
1979 - Golden Cross of Merit