Piotr Sommer (b. 1948) is the author of twelve books of poetry, including Czynnik liryczny (1986, Lyric Factor), Nowe stosunki wyrazów (1997, New Relations of Words), Rano na ziemi (2009, Morning on Earth), Dni i noce (2009, Days and Nights), and Wiersze ze słów (2009, Poems from Words).
He has also published two books of essays, Smak detalu (1995, A Taste for Detail) and Po stykach (2005, Contact Lines), as well as many translations from contemporary American, English and Irish poetry (John Ashbery, John Berryman, John Cage, D.J. Enright, Kenneth Koch, Michael Longley, Frank O’Hara, Charles Reznikoff, David Schubert, James Schuyler). Przed snem (2008, Before Sleep) is his book of poems for children, and Ucieczka w bok. Pytania i odpowiedzi (2010, Escaping Aside: Questions and Answers) is a book of selected interviews. His poems have been translated into many languages, and his collections have appeared in English, German, Slovak, and Slovene. His many prizes include the Silesius Poetry Prize (2010). His most recent book in English is Continued (2005).
photo: Robert Wiącek
Articles by Piotr Sommer
"Spring in France" (1890) by Robert William Vonnoh. Wirt D. Walker Fund. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago. Public Domain.