Marzanna Kielar publishes poems infrequently. Her newest offering, the third after Sacra conversatione (1992) and Materia prima (1999) and a selection of poems published in Germany under the title In den rillen eisiger stunden (2000). Umbra contains fifty-three verses describing the spiritual life of humans, their dilemmas and anxieties.
In his review of Umbra, critic Jarosław Klejnocki writes in the Polityka Weekly (09/2002):
Kielar's poetry is permeable in its emotional delicacy, introverted and aesthetically refined. It grows out of careful observation of detail, contemplation of nature, and the author's own ability to clearly hear her own sensitivities speaking. She ably fashions emotions into original metaphors. It is poetry in pure form, perfectly lyrical, poetry that falls neither into hysterical exhibitionism nor into the indifference of reporting.
Marzanna Kielar (b. 1963), has been called the "Polish Sappho". She teaches philosophy. She is a laureate of the Kościelski's Prize (1993), nominated for the NIKE 2000 award. Her poetry has been translated into several languages: English, German, French, Italian, Swedish, Russian and Hebrew.
- Marzanna Kielar
Umbra
Prószyński i S-ka, Warszawa 2002
68 pages
ISBN 83-7337-236-9