| It may be difficult for some readers to believe the poetry of Czes豉w Mi這sz is capable of resonating with a broader audience, given the constraints placed upon it by its language and context.
A substantial part of Mi這sz's work appears to have blossomed out of his tale of exile, desperation and the then existing tensions rooted in Poland's political landscape. Indeed, the Nobel Laureate's life acts as an intricately woven backdrop to his work.
Even Mi這sz himself had once admitted to thinking of his work as "untranslatable". But the passing of time has proven otherwise. Mi這sz's work has transcended its shaping factors, as evidenced in its translations and wide readership.
Last Sunday, the Sydney Writers' Festival's "tribute" to this great artist was a testament to the very universality embodied by Mi這sz's work.
Stretching out of the colourful maze of the Rocks was Walsh Bay's Pier 4/5, basking in the Sunday afternoon sun, its wharves pillowed by the lapping waves of the harbour. It was within a small theatre fit snugly in the corner of the old pier that a crowd had gathered to listen, learn and talk about the work of this great artist.
What's more is that the crowd had been perhaps equally lured by the bizarre story to be told by the event's presenter, Bernard Lane. A journalist for The Australian since 1990, Lane one day found himself rummaging through the shelves of a second-hand bookstore to discover Mi這sz's "Unattainable Earth". Admittedly, the cover of the book had attracted him and he set off to write a tribute to the poet. The article began:
"Some day soon I may hear he has died. Czes豉w Mi這sz, the writer, is seven years short of his century ... He will die as a Polish-American poet. That is how the headlines will capture his essence. My guess is that his death will be recorded here in Australia, if only because his name has been yoked with Nobel's since 1980, when he was awarded the literature prize ... " (The Australian, 14 August 2004).
His article had in fact anticipated the poet's death by one day. It reached "an international readership through the website Arts & Letters Daily". It was out of such peculiarity that Lane developed a deeper appreciation and love of Mi這sz's work.
"His poetry moved continents, decades and cultures," exclaimed Lane, addressing his audience. Indeed, it found its corollary in a rather cosmopolitan life story. Czes豉w Mi這sz was born into modest circumstances in Lithuania in 1911. He spent his youth studying in Wilno and adopted an active role in the local literary community.
Following the imposition of a ban on his works by the government of the day, in 1951 Mi這sz sought exile in France, where he wrote many of his works. In 1960, Mi這sz began his Professorship of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 1980, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature – an event which made the publication of his works in his home country officially possible. He spent his later years residing alternately in Berkeley and Krakow. At the age of 93 he passed away on August 14, 2004.
Sunday's discussion spanned across a great breadth of subjects – from speculation surrounding Mi這sz's religious convictions to his political inclinations; from his reminiscences of early childhood to his attachment to the landscape of both Lithuania and the United States.
However, Lane often returned to the emerging motif of the "Mi這szian moment" – a phrase describing a moment in which one contemplates the "metaphysical strangeness of human existence". Lane added that Mi這sz had always yearned for a single word to describe such an experience.
Mi這sz's religious convictions proved to be a particular issue of contention within the Polish community, as evidenced by reactions to his death. The decision to bury his body in the crypt of Krakow's Pauline Church sparked mixed feelings from Polish Catholics – some of whom considered the poet to be a "crypto Buddhist".
Lane commented that Mi這sz had never found a place within the Catholic Church, citing Pope John Paul II as once stating with respect to Mi這sz's poetry: "You always take one step forward and one step back".
It appears the interdependence of Polish Catholicism and nationalism always sat uncomfortably with the poet. When asked, Lane mentioned that Mi這sz's beliefs were by no means "sectarian or strictly orthodox", but most probably stemmed from "paganistic Lithuanian influences".
Despite a majority, if not all, of Mi這sz's work being originally written in Polish, the great bulk of it has been translated into English - to the delight of his now international readership. What is of particular interest is that in his later years, Mi這sz teamed with his fellow poets at Berkeley and actively collaborated in the translation of his work.
In response to the question of whether some meaning had been lost in translation, Lane admitted that at times Mi這sz's poetry did not "read too elegantly in English". However, he explained this was a product of the decision for literal translation, in an attempt to leave as much of the poetry's meaning intact.
Ultimately, what I craved to learn from Sunday's discussion was the secret to Milosz's universality. How could such a man find a common language with readers young and old and scattered across the globe?
I think I found my answer in a metaphor cited by Lane, when Mi這sz had once likened himself to an acutely sensitive camera. Mi這sz's works – like abstract prints of an intricate memory – have allowed readers to take from them what they wish. No doubt their broad themes of hope, prayer, nature and human indulgences as well as sufferings will allow readers to enjoy many a "Miloszian moment" for generations to come.
To read the he entire text of Bernard Lane's article "World According to Milosz" (The Australian, 14/08/04) click here..
Further information regarding this year's Sydney Writers' Festival may be found at www.swf.org.au. For a brief biography of Milosz's life, visit nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/1980/index.html. | 
