BALBUS Stanisław

Born on 8 May 1942 in Sieradz; son of the baker Ludwik Balbus and Antonina Maria, née Malinowska. He attended the Kazimierz Jagiellończyk Grammar School (no. 17) in Sieradz. He was still a pupil there in 1958 when he published the poem Wiosna (Spring), in the Polish scouting association's periodical "Na Przełaj" (no. 26). In 1961 he completed advanced secondary education and started a degree in Polish philology at the Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Krakow. He also started studying mathematics in parallel at the same university, followed by music studies a year later. From 1964 he focused solely on Polish studies. In 1963 he joined the ruling Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR – Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza), before surrendering his membership in December 1980 at the final congress of the Polish Writers' Union (ZLP – Związek Literatów Polskich). In 1966, he graduated from UJ with a master's degree in Polish philology before becoming an assistant lecturer at the Department of Poetics and Stylistics at the Chair of Polish Literature at UJ. His conducted research that crossed the disciplinary boundaries of literary studies and linguistics. He made his debut with reviews published in "Ruch Literacki" in 1996 (vol. 3) Próba metodologii powieści (Towards a methodology of the novel, a review of V.V. Kožinov's book Proischoždenie romana) and Poetyka i matematyka (Poetics and mathematics), a discussion of an edited volume bearing the same title. He published further reviews and articles in the same journal through to 1969. His first published piece of literary criticism was Mały nierealizm (Minor non-realism), which addressed S. Czycz's novel Ajol. Balbus' study appeared in "Życie Literackie" in 1967 (no. 26). He collaborated with this weekly until 1977 (also using the bylines Fil, Fil., FIL, FIL., s.b.). He also contributed the regular column Co nowego w księgarni (What's new in bookstores) as well as essays as part of the cycle Lektury obowiązkowe (Compulsory reading). Balbus also authored academic articles, pieces of literary criticism, and translations from Russian in periodicals and journals including "Pamiętnik Literacki" (1968-71, also using the byline s.b.), "Student" (1971-72, signing his (including some under the P.W.) and in "Nowe Książki" (1972). He worked with the Krakow publishing house Wydawnictwo Literackie as a proofreader and internal reviewer from 1966 to 1979. From 1970 to 1976 (and again from 1990 to 1999) he worked with Polish Television in Krakow and with Polish Radio's Krakow station (to 1998) as a book reviewer, participant in discussions in literary programmes, and as author of talks and shows. He was awarded a doctoral degree in 1975 for his dissertation. Aktualizacja akustyczna tekstu literackiego (Acoustic developments in literary texts), which was supervised by Prof. Maria Dłuska. The following year, he was employed as a lecturer at the Institute of Polish Philology at the Jagiellonian University. Between 1978 and 2002 he taught literary theory at UJ, led master's and doctoral seminars in the subject, and also conducted research focused on literary styles, poetic semiotics and hermeneutics. From 1976 until its dissolution in 1983, he was a member of the Polish Writers' Union (ZLP), while also serving on the board of the Krakow section between 1980 and 1983. In 1980 he joined the Independent Self-governing Trade Union Solidarity (NSZZ "Solidarność"), remaining a member until 1991. He also intermittently taught courses for Towarzystwo Kursów Naukowych (Society for Academic Courses) until 1986. He also participated in Poland's underground, unofficial literary scene. He co-founded and cooperated with several underground Krakow periodicals: the spoken word magazine "NaGłos" (1982-89), for which he wrote short pieces and articles under the aliases St.B. and St. Bal.) and "bruLion" (1987-89), using the bylines S. Bal., St.B. or Stefan Bal. He was a member of the literary-artistic council (Rada Literacko-Artystyczna) of the publishing house Oficyna Literacka between 1985 and 1995. Until 1989 it was part of Poland's independent and unofficial publishing movement. Balbus faced numerous restrictions and repressive measures, including police inspections, being held in custody, having his book collection confiscated and beatings by "unknown assailants". In 1988, he was a guest lecturer at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The same year he became a member of the Polish PEN Club, while a year later he became a founding member of the Polish Writers' Association (Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich – SPP), serving as deputy chairman of the Kraków branch between 1991 and 1994. In 1988, he became a member of the historical commission of the Krakow branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), while in 1992 he joined the poetics and stylistics commission of the International Committee of Slavists. In 1989 he was awarded his habilitation from UJ for his study Między stylami. Strategie intertekstualne w procesie historycznoliterackim (Between styles. Intertextual strategies in literary-historical processes). In 1992 he was made associate professor at UJ before being made state appointed professor the following year. He renewed his collaboration with the journal "Ruch Literacki" (intermittently between 1989 and 1994), while he also published articles and reviews in periodicals including the biweekly "Dekada Literacka" (1990-96), the monthly "NaGłos" (1990-97) and the bimonthly "Teksty Drugie” (1990, 1994, 1996 and 1999). From 1994 he was acting Chair of Literary Theory at UJ, taking on the role formally in 1996 and serving until 2003. He remained a member of the department until his retirement in 2012. In 1999, he was made full professor. At this time he was also nominated to the Praesidium of the Committee on Literary Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Komitet Nauk o Literaturze Polskiej PAN), acting as deputy chairman in 2002. In 2001 he became a member of the Commission for the Culture of Slavs at the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (Komisja Kultury Słowian Polskiej Akademii Umiejętności – PAU) in Krakow, serving as its deputy chair between 2001 and 2003. In 2002 he joined the editorial board of the Poznań-based periodical "Przestrzenie Teorii". He was a tutor in the programme offered by the Inter-university Individual Studies in the Humanities within the framework of the Artes Liberales Academy. He has received many awards and honours for his work in literary studies and literary criticism, including the UJ rector's prize (1969, 1976, 1982, 1993, 1997, 2002 and 2008), the prize of the Minister of Higher Education (1981 and 1993), and the Kazimierz Wyka Award in 1992 which recognized his entire oeuvre in literary criticism, in particular his monograph Poezja w czasie marnym (Poetry in dead times). In 1967 he married the Romance studies scholar Barbara Sosień. They divorced in 1979. In 2003 he married Zofia Iwańska-Nowak, the widow of Tadeusz Nowak. Until her death in 2013, they lived in Warsaw and Krakow, where he subsequently settled permanently. He was awarded the Medal of the Committee of National Education in 1999 and the Gold Cross of Merit in 2000.