BIO
Born on 7 December 1961 in Jędrzejów; son of the farmers Stanisław and Józefa, née Antoszewska. He completed his secondary education in 1981 at the Ivan Pavlovich Kamyshev Electrical Technical School in Sosnowiec before starting a degree in Polish philology at the University of Silesia (UŚ). He made his debut in 1980 with the poem Pieśni (Songs) that appeared in the Tychy-based weekly "Echo" (no. 33). In 1983, he began collaborating with the monthly "Poezja", where he published reviews and articles. His poems and reviews also appeared in the student periodicals "Kwartał" (from 1983, becoming its deputy editor-in-chief in 1987) and "Student" (1986-88). He also published in "Fakty" (1985-88), "Pismo Literacko-Artystyczne" (1986-88), "Radar" (1986-87) and "Życie Literackie" (1986-89), as well as in poetry anthologies. In 1984, he was awarded a grant from the Central Cultural Council of the Polish Students' Association (Naczelna Rada Kultury Zrzeszenia Studentów Polskich). After graduating in 1986, he was employed at the office of the Department of Germanic Philology at UŚ. In 1987, he was appointed assistant (with a break in 1988/89 when he was called up for military service at the Reserve Officers' Training Centres in Szczecin and Tczew), while from 1989 he was senior assistant at the Institute of Polish Literature and Culture (which in 1991 became the Institute of the Study of Polish Literature – INoLP, and in 2005 was named after Ireneusz Opacki) at UŚ. In 1987/88 he had a part-time post at the literary weekly "Życie Literackie". He was awarded the Tadeusz Borowski Grant in 1989. He became a regular reviewer with the monthly "Twórczość" from 1989 to 1996 and again in 2000/01. In 1991, he was awarded a doctoral degree for his dissertation Twórczość Adama Czerniawskiego (The Works of Adam Czerniawski), which was supervised by Prof. Włodzimierz Wójcik. He was then appointed lecturer at INoLP. In 1992 and 2004 he was editor-in-chief of the yearbook "Rocznik Sosnowiecki" where he also published reviews, while from 1995 to 2003 he was head of the literary criticism and essay section of the monthly "Śląsk". He has continued to publish regularly here, including a series of portraits of outstanding Silesian literary scholars in 2017. He also collaborated with "Opcje" (1995-98, 2001) and "Nowe Książki" (regularly between 1998-2005). In 1993, he was appointed to the Literary History Commission of the Katowice Branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN). Between 1993 and 1998, he was secretary and then deputy chairman of the Society for Promoting Culture (Towarzystwo Zachęty Kultury), while in 1993 he became a founding member of the Upper Silesian Literary Society (Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Literackie) in Katowice, serving as secretary from 1993 to 2001, as deputy chairman from 2001 to 2005 and again in 2013, and a member of the board from 2005 to 2013. In 1998, he became a member of the T. Parnicki Literary Society, while in 2000 he joined the Polish Writers' Association (SPP) and 2005 the Adam Mickiewicz Literary Society. In 2017, he joined the W. Szewczyk Society and in 2018 the Polish PEN Club. Between 1996 and 2002, he was deputy director of INoLP at UŚ. In 1999, he was awarded a habilitation degree for his book Zmiana. Z problemów świadomości literackiej przełomu 1955-1959 w Polsce (Change: On literary consciousness during the transformation of 1955-1959), which was published the same year. In 2000, he was appointed associate professor at UŚ. Between 2002 and 2008, he was director of INoLP and was appointed head of the Department of Contemporary Literature in 2002 (which became the Department of Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature in 2018). From 2008 to 2011, he was curator of the Department of the History of Baroque Literature and Ancient Books at the same Institute. Between 2008 and 2016, he was a member of the Senate of the University of Silesia and head of the Senate Committee for Academic Staff. He was also employed for some periods of time as professor at the Higher School of Education in Czestochowa (2002-2004), the Higher School of Marketing Management and Foreign Languages in Katowice (2005/06) and the Higher School of Mechatronics (2009/10), both of which are now defunct. In 2004, he was appointed to the Committee on Literary Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences (KNoL PAN), including a time serving on its Commission of School and University Education from 2004 to 2007. In 2004, he was made state-appointed professor, while in 2007 he was made full professor at UŚ. In 2008, he was appointed an expert for the State Accreditation Commission (Państwowa Komisja Akredytacyjna) and served as head of the District Committee of the Olympiad in Polish Literature and Language in Katowice. He was appointed associate dean for the Development and Promotion of the Faculty of Philology at UŚ the same year, serving until 2016. In 2010 he was appointed to the position of rector's spokesperson, representing the University of Silesia in the Academy of "Artes Liberales", again serving until 2016. Between 2011 and 2013, he was director of Postgraduate Studies in Logopedia and Media Enunciation (Studia Podyplomowe Logopedii i Medialnej Emisji Głosu), while in 2013 he conceived and co-created the UŚ Centre for Logopedia and Audio Description. He was appointed to the scientific boards of the journals "Śląskie Studia Polonistyczne", "Z Teorii i Praktyki Dydaktycznej Języka Polskiego", "Tematy i Konteksty", "Iudaica Russica", "Logopedia Silesiana" (serving as head of the scientific countil) and "Narracje o Zagładzie" (as head of the scientific council). In 2012, he gave the laudatio speeches when Sławomir Mrożek and Wiesław Myśliwski were awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Silesia and University of Rzeszow, respectively. In 2017, he was appointed deputy editor-in-chief of the monthly "Śląsk". He has received numerous awards and honours for his academic achievements and services to Polish culture, including the S. Grochowiak Medal in 1988, the Literary Foundation Prize (Nagroda Funduszu Literatury) in 1990, the Governor of the Katowice Voivodeship Prize for Youth Artists in 1992 and 1994, the M. Jodłowski Literary Prize in 1996, the Toronto-based W&N Turzański Foundation Award in 2003, the City of Sosnowiec Prize in 2004, and the Prize of the President of the City of Katowice in 2018. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2015 by the Senate of the Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa. He received the Medal of the Commission of National Education in 2002, the Gold Honour for Services to the University of Silesia in 2005, the Bronze (2005) and Silver (2017) Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, the Gold Honour for Services to the Silesian Voivodeship in 2006, the Silver Cross of Merit in 2006, and the Decoration of Honor Meritorious for Polish Culture in 2007. He married the Polish philologist Joanna, née Dusiło, in 1990; they have a son, Michał (b. 1991), a graduate in English studies. He lives in Katowice.
Twórczość
1. Götterdämmerung – emigracja wewnętrzna – Reduta. O literaturze i pokoleniu literackim lat osiemdziesiątych. [Szkic]. Sosnowiec: Piwnica Literacka „Remedium” 1983, [44] s. powielone.
Zawartość
2. Nie śnijcie mnie w waszych snach. [Wiersze]. Sosnowiec: Studenckie Centrum Kultury RU [Rady Uczelnianej] Zrzeszenia Studentów Polskich Uniwersytetu Śląskiego „Zameczek-Remedium”, Piwnica Literacka „Remedium” 1983, 19 s., Tomiki Debiutanckie PL [Piwnicy Literackiej] „Remedium”..
3. Zanim rozpierzchniemy się w słowach. [Wiersz]. Sosnowiec: Studenckie Centrum Kultury RU [Rady Uczelnianej] Zrzeszenia Studentów Polskich „Zameczek-Remedium” 1984, [4] s.
4. U podstaw twórczości Adama Czerniawskiego. [Studium ]. Gliwice: „Wokół Nas” 1991, 125 s.
5. Czego nie ma w podręcznikach języka polskiego. Mały przewodnik po współczesnej literaturze polskiej. Gliwice: „Wokół Nas” 1992, 115 s.
6. Kronika nocy. Wiersze z lat 1982-1990. Warszawa: Staromiejski Dom Kultury 1992, 54 s. Rękopisy Nie Płoną..
7. Gdy stoję tak nieruchomo. [Wiersze]. Katowice: Towarzystwo Zachęty Kultury 1993, 40 s.
8. Bliżej zimy niż lata. Wiersze, przekłady, imitacje. Katowice: Towarzystwo Zachęty Kultury 1995, [70] s.
9. Mały leksykon kultury. Kierunki, style, tendencje. [Współautorzy:] J. Kisielowa, Z. Marcinów. Katowice: Videograf II 1996, 276 s.
10. Więzy i wzloty. Przełom 1955-1959 w literaturze polskiej – próba modelu. Kielce: Szumacher 1996, 49 s. Polska Akademia Nauk. Oddział w Katowicach Komisja Historyczno-Literacka. Przedruk zob. poz. ↑, ↑.
11. Świadectwa, znaki. Glosy o poezji najnowszej. Katowice: Śląsk 1998, 240 s.
12. Od Różewicza. Małe szkice o poezji. Katowice: Forum Sztuk 1999, 143 s.
Zawartość
13. Zmiana. Z problemów świadomości literackiej przełomu 1955-1959 w Polsce. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego 1999, 145 s. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, 1788. Wyd. 2 [poprawione] tamże 2014, 220 s. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, 3147.
Zawartość
14. Pamięć, biografia, słowo. Szkice o poetach dwóch generacji. Katowice: Gnome 2000, 121 s., Obrazy Literatury XX w., t. 4.
Zawartość
15. Pokolenia i przełomy. Szkice o literaturze polskiej drugiej połowy XX wieku. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego 2004, 181 s. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, 2205.
Zawartość
16. Przypisy do współczesności. [Szkice]. Katowice: Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania Marketingowego i Języków Obcych w Katowice; Agencja Artystyczna Para 2006, 183 s.
Zawartość
17. Wypominki. Wiersze z lat 1995-2008. Katowice: Śląsk 2009, 43 s.
18. Ananke i Polska. O liryce Zdzisława Stroińskiego. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego 2010, 165 s., Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, 2833.
19. Czułość. Wiersze. Katowice: Śląsk 2011, 41 s.
20. Było i się zmyło. Wiersze. Katowice: Śląsk 2012, 64 s.
21. Critica varia. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego 2013, 256 s. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, 3062.
Zawartość
22. Droga. [Wiersze]. Katowice: Śląsk 2013, 66 s.
23. Ruiny istnienia. Szkice o poetach mniej obecnych. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego 2013, 154 s. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, 3047.
Zawartość
24. C’est la vie. Wiersze. Katowice: Śląsk 2014, 59 s.
25. Martwa natura. [Wiersze]. Katowice: Śląsk 2015, 57 s.
26. Między wierszami. Jedenaście miniatur krytycznych. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego 2015, 120 s. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach, 3379.
Zawartość
27. Nieuchronnie zbliżam się do was. Wiersze z lat 1980-2015. Wyboru dokonał Andrzej Szuba. Kraków: Miniatura 2015, 104 s.
28. Łazarz. [Wiersze]. Katowice: Śląsk 2016, 55 s.
29. Wieniec dla zmarłych. Wybór wierszy w układzie autora. Posłowie: K. Niesporek. Katowice: Śląsk 2017, 81 s.
30. Pożegnania. [Szkice]. Kraków: Miniatura 2018, 80 s.
Zawartość
31. Uniesie nas wiatr. [Wiersze]. Katowice: Śląsk 2018, 63 s.
32. Zielone pola. [Wiersze]. Posłowie: E. Wróbel. Katowice: Śląsk 2020, 62 s.
33. Splot. Szkice o poezji polskiej, rosyjskiej i żydowskiej. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego 2021, 240 s.
Zawartość
34. Kairos. Szkice o poematach Karola Wojtyły. Kraków: Instytut Literatury 2022, 164 s. Biblioteka Pana Cogito, 67.
Zawartość
Artykuły w czasopismach i książkach zbiorowych, m.in.
Przekłady
Przekłady utworów literackich w antologiach zagranicznych
bułgarski
serbski
Prace edytorskie i redakcyjne
Omówienia i recenzje
• Ankieta dla IBL PAN 2013.