Zdzisław Nardelli

Although Nardelli described himself on his way to Poland as a “left-leaning poet” whose documents containing four years of writings in the camps had been confiscated by the Gestapo, and whose lust for life and belief in the importance of writing had been destroyed, he nevertheless admitted that after all his time in prisons and concentration camps, he had more confidence in his physical powers than in his intellectual capabilities. Nardelli moved through the ruins of Warsaw into his beloved and scarcely touched Kraków. “The burnt out poet travelled on the roof of a train, robbed of his work and seeing no sense in starting from scratch once again.” But the return to his home had a primordial meaning: Kraków, like himself had remained unscathed. Kraków, the city of his youth and his time as a student was the scene of Nardelli’s reincarnation. Here he was charged with setting up a broadcasting station for Polish Radio. This task unleashed hitherto hidden powers within him, rekindled his enthusiasm for life and gave him fresh motivation.

Nardelli’s many years of fruitful work for Polish Radio, his specialisation in directing radio plays, his productions of radio plays and performances by the Polish Radio Theatre Company became a Polish speciality almost certainly because of Nardelli’s efforts, made a major contribution to promoting his magnificent career. His hugely original creations earned him a huge number of national and international prizes. After he had finished working in radio, the next stage of his life resulted in valuable autobiographical precise observations and philosophical resections in the books he wrote. Today they offer a priceless aid in reconstructing the atmosphere of September 1939, the imprisonment in Görlitz and the events he experienced with Olivier Messiaen that were to go down in history. From the perspective of his creative work and his achievements we can now recognise his journey from the ancient aristocratic Nardelli family in Cieszyn to becoming one of the most outstanding representatives of Polish culture.

Alongside the remarks and memories of many of his prison contemporaries to be found in the visitor’s book for the “Sagan Nativity Play” with the title Uwaga! Sagan Wrze! [Beware! Things are simmering in Sagan!] There is also a contribution by Zdzisław Nardelli:

 “The sun has its own particular form of humour – it throws shadows. Might our shadows perhaps be thrown further than us? 

Sagan, 22. January 1940.  Zdzisław Nardelli”

Jerzy Stankiewicz, April 2016