Einde en begin - Een ontmoeting met Wislawa Szymborska

It is not easy to get acquainted with the Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1996. The 88-year-old writer likes to cultivate the image of a recluse. But once inside her house, she can’t disguise her brisk personality. Holding a glass of cognac and a cigarette, she coquettishly addresses the filmmaker. She admits him, bit doesn’t divulge much about herself. It doesn’t matter. Because Szymborska is at her most genuine when reciting her poems and she does so tirelessly. To the rhythm of her voice, her work gets the dimension it deserves. Illustrated by images of the scenery, historical footage and statements by a few prominent personalities from Polish cultural life, the admiration for the oeuvre of this grande dame grows. The result: a balanced portrait of an oeuvre, a poet and her country’s recent history.