BIO
Born on 20 May 1942 in Komarowice near Dobromil, now in Ukraine; son of the shoemaker Leon Kurylak and Zofia, née Bilaczad. He and his family arrived in Poland in 1945 as part of population transfers, or 'repatriation' as it was termed at the time. They settled in Przemyśl. He attended the Trade School, which then became the Economic Technical School. It was during this period that he wrote his first pieces of poetry. He made his debut in 1960 with the poem Pianistka (The Pianist), which was published in the periodical "Nowiny Rzeszowskie" (no. 162). He subsequently published in the magazine "Widnokręgi" (1961-66). In 1963, he started a degree in Polish philology at the Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Krakow, but abandoned his studies in 1964 for health reasons. He then studied Polish philology at the University of Warsaw (UW) for three years but did not complete his degree. He became acquainted with the poet Mieczysław Jastrun during this period, establishing a long-lasting friendship. He continued to write poetry, publishing his verse in the local weekly "Życie Przemyskie" (1968-86) and in the poetry monthly "Poezja" (1971-78). He was employed in various jobs, including a post at a fibreboard factory in Przemyśl and as a teacher at a village primary school in Hucisko Nienadowskie. He was also head of the cultural section at the Przemyśl branch of PAX, the pro-communist Catholic association, before finding employment at the State Archive in Przemyśl. He was a secret informer for the Security Service (SB) between 1968 and 1989. In 1987, he was awarded the city of Przemyśl prize. Between 1989 and 2001, he split his time between Przemyśl and Warsaw before moving to Krakow. He joined the Polish Writers' Association (SPP) 1991, before becoming a member of the Polish PEN Club in 1995. He received the Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński Award in 1996 for his oeuvre, but
Twórczość
1. Ziemskie prochy. [Wiersze]. Rzeszów: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza 1990, 107 s.
Nagrody
2. Jasno ciemno jasno ciemno. [Wiersze]. Warszawa: Przedświt 1991, 72 s. Wyd. 2 zmienione tamże 1995, 82 s.
Nagrody
3. Tragedia zwierząt. [Wiersze]. Przemyśl: Gdzie indziej. Wydawnictwo T. Nuckowskiego 1992, [24] s. Wyd. 2 rozszerzone tamże 1994.
4. Kołatanie do bramy. [Wiersze]. Warszawa: Latona 1993, 95 s.
5. Góra duchów. [Wiersze]. Warszawa: Latona 1995, 99 s.
Nagrody
6. Dolina poetów nad Wiarem. [Wiersze]. Warszawa: „Magazyn Literacki”; Herbut 1998, 95 s.
7. Zmierzch jest doktorem filozofii. [Wiersze]. Warszawa: Nowy Świat 2001, 111 s.
8. Wojna tajemnic. [Wiersze]. Warszawa: Nowy Świat 2002, 54 s.
9. Inspiracje przemyskie. [Wiersze; współautor: ]. M. Olbromski, T. Piekło. Wstęp i oprac. red.: Z. Szeliga. Przemyśl: Grafit na zlec. Starostwa powiatowego 2003, [14] s.
10. Staw chorążego. [Wiersze]. Rzeszów: Podkarpacki Instytut Książki i Marketingu 2006, 54 s.
11. Chłop i poeta. [Wiersze]. Sopot: Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Sopotu 2008, 56 s. Biblioteka Toposu, t. 37.
12. Dziewczyna z uciętą głową. [Wiersze]. Rzeszów: Podkarpacki Instytut Książki i Marketingu 2010, 63 s.
13. Wyspa Monte Christo. [Wiersze]. Rzeszów: Wydawnictwo Lisia Góra 2012, 54 s.
14. Ciemna głęboka woda bez Boga. [Wiersze]. Rzeszów: Wydawnictwo Lisia Góra 2013, 91 s.
15. Zegar słoneczny na murze przemyskiej katedry. [Wiersze]. Rzeszów: Podkarpacki Instytut Książki i Marketingu 2016, 29 s.
16. Thau. [Wiersze]. Rzeszów: Podkarpacki Instytut Książki i Marketingu 2018, 91 s.
Przekłady utworów literackich w antologiach zagranicznych
białoruski
francuski
macedoński
włoski
Prace redakcyjne
Omówienia i recenzje
• Ankiety dla IBL PAN. 2008, 2010.