Maria Jasnorzewska grave (24th November 1891 to 9th July 1945)

 

Maria was a prolific Polish poet during Poland's interwar period. There was some poetry by the grave so someone has called by recently. I’ve never heard of her but there were a few trinkets by the headstone and some new flowers so someone’s a fan.

 

She was born in Kraków into a family of painters and grew up surrounded by artists, writers, and intellectuals. Her granddad and dad were both professional painters so it’s no surprise was artistic. She wrote and painted but wrote fully after the breakdown of her second marriage (which also ended in divorce.) She joined a group of poets in Warsaw and by 33 was a prolific professional poet. She was prolific, writing about taboo topics like abortion, affairs and incest - scandalous stuff at the time but daily fodder for Channel Four these days.

 

How did she end up in a graveyard a couple of miles from central Manchester? Aged 48 as the Second World War was starting she followed her third husband to England. Sadly within five years she was diagnosed with bone cancer and was paralysed down one side of her body. Her husband cared for her until she died aged just 53 (he followed 25 years later.)

 

I've called at this impressive headstone a few times as its near that of a Victoria Cross soldier. There're always flowers on it. In 70+ years will there be visitors and flowers at your grave? I doubt people will visit mine; they don't even visit me now nor can some be bothered to answer my emails.

 

 

 

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