Last goodbyes for poet and cabaret writer Maciej Zembaty
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
08.07.2011 13:32
Warsaw bids farewell today to great poet, musician and radio journalist Maciej Zembaty, who died on 27 June at the age of 67.
Maciej Zembaty Photo: PAP/Stefan Kraszewski
Zembaty was for years closely connected with Polish Radio, he was the author of several cabaret series broadcast by Polish Radio 3, popularly known as ‘Trojka’.
The poet was also one of the best interpreters and translators of Leonard Cohen’s songs. He translated over 60 of them, with his translation of Cohen’s “Partisan” becoming the unofficial anthem of the Solidarity leaders imprisoned during Martial Law in the early 1980s.
Zembaty made his debut as a singer in 1965 at the Opole festival of Polish songs. He wrote poetry, music, was a master of black humour, a satirist and also a screenplay writer.
He spoke seven languages and translated poetry and songs from three languages. His funeral was held in Warsaw this morning , but in Krakow, where the artist lived for a long time, the noon ‘Hejnal’ bugle call was replaced in his honour with Cohen’s “Alleluja”. (aba/jb)