Nobel winner Milosz opens literary festival

H istorical consciousness in a con­ stantly changing po litica l clim ate is centra l to the Polish poet’s aware­ ness, according to Nobel prize­ w inner Czeslaw Milosz. “ When poetry is connected w ith h istorica l passion, everyone needs poetry ," the opening artist for the 1982 Sophomore Literary Festival stated yesterday afternoon du ring a workshop in the Library Lounge. He also extensively discussed the p o lit i­ cal situation in Poland, his native coun try and read several o f his poems to a capacity c row d last night in M emorial Library Aud itorium . D uring a visit last summer to Poland after a 30-year absence, Milosz met now im prisoned Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and the tw o "became great friends ’’ The poet’s feelings very strongly b ind" him w ith Solidarity and he admires Poland’s s ituation is now “ pre tty bad,” he stated. “ Norm alcy as a whole has been destroyed. ” The present feeling o f Polish citizens is one o f "rage and despair, hatred. Poland is pervaded by hatred. Nobody believes anymore what the governm ent says. ” Solidarity’ according to Milosz, saved the Polish people from several decades o f "a state o f hum ila tion ," establishing a solid movem ent that was “ generally fe lt" in the country. “ Expression o f free pub lic op in ion ( fo r ) the first tim e since 1939" was the m ovem ent’s main accom plish­ ment. "Solidarity was to get a certain amount o f con tro l over the polic ies o f the g o ve rn m en t. . as far as ( th e ) experts were concerned," he said. The movement has also been accused o f being un w illin g to com ­ promise, but, Milosz explained. Solidarity was moved to such an “ extrem e position ” because it was Walesa as a “ w onderfu l and very unable to reach a com prom ise w ith wise man" whom he w ill fo llo w the Polish government, “ everywhere.” “ P rim arily a poet,” Walesa’s po licy, according to Milosz has also w ritten books and Milosz, has been “ to act in the open” prose He was born in Lithuania in in Poland, a country "so th irs ty ” for Czeslaw M ilosz, Nobel P rize w in n e r in lite ra tu re , opened the 1982 Sophomore L ite ra ry Festival last n ig h t to a f u l l house in the M e m o ria l L ib ra ry A u d ito r iu m . (ph o to by G onza lo S. Reyes)