17 pages • 34 minutes read
Wisława SzymborskaLove at First Sight
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1993A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
"A Word on Statistics" by Wislawa Szymborska (2002)
Using her famous wit and irony, in “A Word on Statistics” (2002), Szymborska explores the absurdity of statistics and their inability to measure human character. The poet satirically calculates how many out of every 100 people are good, helpful, fearful, and so forth. The obviously myopic nature of the data gives the poem a humorous air. The poem concludes that the only constant figure in human life is mortality.
"Nothing Twice" by Wislawa Szymborska (1998)
In “Nothing Twice” (1998), Szymborska treats themes shared with “Love at First Sight”: chance and time. The poem reflects on inconsistency within peoples’ lives. It uses figurative language and rhetorical questions to encourage the reader to compare and contrast various circumstances. Focusing again on day-to-day events, Szymborska underlines the individuality of each human being and asks the reader to revel in the distinctiveness of every moment.
"Photograph from September 11" by Wislawa Szymborska (2005)
Returning to the serious historical subjects of her early career, in a “Photograph from September 11” (2005), Szymborska memorializes the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York City on 9/11. With solemnity and respect, she describes widely circulated photographs of the people who jumped from the burning upper stories of the Twin Towers. Further developing a theme in “Love at First Sight,” she honors them by refusing to give a firm ending to their life stories: she will “not add a last line.”
Further Literary Resources
"9 Secret Sides of Szymborska" by Alena Aniskiewicz (2014)
Published on Culture.pl, a web portal dedicated to Polish writing and culture, Alena Aniskiewicz’s essay explores often-overlooked aspects of Szymborska’s private life. Aside from her writing, Szymborska was also a collage artist, muse, angler, and animal lover—among other recreations. Szymborska was famously resistant to interviews, preferring solitude; this article offers an illuminating glimpse into her inner world.
"Alone with the Greta Garbo of Verse" by James Hopkin (2000)
With her typical humor and wit, Szymborska speaks with James Hopkin of The Guardian about her writing and its impact in “Alone with the Greta Garbo of verse” (2000). She explains how she prefers to break writing down to its simplest parts, despite the complexity of her themes (e.g. absence, the past, and the future). She also touches on the purpose of her writing: She hopes to provide affirmation to those who do not realize what they have
"A Domestication of Death: The Poetic Universe of Wislawa Szymborska" by Malgorzata Anna Packalén (2004)
Malgorzata Anna Packalén, writer for the Nobel Prize organization, immerses her readers in Szymborska’s poetic world in her article, “A Domestication of Death” (2004). Packalén explores the various themes, symbols, and literary devices which unite Szymborska’s work. By taking the reader through several poems and linking analysis with excerpts that highlight the poet’s craftsmanship, Packalén reveals new depths in Szymborska’s writing.
"The Poet and the World" by Wislawa Szymborska (1996)
Szymborska won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. This essay, “The Poet and the World,” is the Nobel lecture she presented after her victory. Szymborska describes how reluctant contemporary poets are to own their art form—and with good reason. She acknowledges that the life of a poet is unglamorous, difficult to romanticize, and little valued in modern society. But still, she encourages poets to embrace their rare privilege to work in an imaginative career and, most of all, to redouble their efforts to beatify everyday life.
Related Titles
By Wisława Szymborska
