Janina Brzostowska (1897-1986)

Poet, writer, translator. Polish literature owes her a complete translation of Safona's poetry.

Janina Brzostowska was born on July 9, 1897 in Wadowice as the daughter of the director of the local gymnasium, Jan Dorozinski (a philologist and psychologist), and pianist Julia née Berner. She graduated from the classical gymnasium in Wadowice, where she made her debut in the pages of the school newspaper 'Nasz łan'. In middle school she also participated in the school theater. She graduated with a degree in Polish and Roman studies from Jagiellonian University in Kraków. She married Captain Ludomir Boncza-Brzostowski, with whom she settled in Lviv. Then they moved to Warsaw.

Janina Brzostowska was discovered as a poet by the literary 'Czartak' group while becoming its youngest member. She made her debut in 1925 in the pages of the 'Czartak' group's almanac. She published 18 volumes of poetry and three novels.

She also engaged in translation work. She translated from classical languages and from German, Slovak, Czech and Hungarian. She was the first to translate into Polish from ancient Greek all the poems of the ancient poet Safona. Janina Brzostowska  was one of the founders of the International Academy of Poetry in Cambridge, England.

She died in Warszawa on March 18, 1986.