Life is Bearable. At Times... A Contrary Portrait of Wisława Szymborska

Program type: documentary
Running time: 53'
Original title: Chwilami życie bywa znośne. Przewrotny portret Wisławy Szymborskiej.

She is a mysterious Grande Dame of world poetry, adored by Woody Allen and Umberto Eco.

Wisława Szymborska, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996, intensely dislikes interviews and public appearances, and the promotions of her own volumes of poetry are pure torture for her. She avoids the limelight, keeps a small circle of real friends and might be, as some say, a throwback to the 19th century.

She claims that everything we need to know about her, she has already written in her poems.

Once she actually agrees to make a public appearance, she draws huge crowds that would be the envy of any pop star. It was quite a challenge to make a film on a person who has a strong aversion towards camera lens. We tried to show the beauty of her poetry and her lesser-known passions. After all, one cannot possibly be serious all the time. And so we traveled with her to Ireland, the homeland of the limerick. We took her on a journey through the world of Vermeer in Amsterdam and the Hague.

Contrary to her wishes, or following them, or both, we disclose the so far unknown passions of the Nobel Prize Winner.

Produced in 2010

ALREADY SOLD TO: Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland