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Czesław Miłosz (AP photo)
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Czesław Miłosz was a great Polish poet and a great American. America was his refuge and his adopted home, which he enriched with his writing, translations and teaching. He had a profound impact on a generation of contemporary American poets, and as the American poet Robert Hass wrote, Czesław Miłosz for Americans… “was a witness of the tragic events of the 20th century, but also a moral compass.” Although he wrote most of his poetry in his native Polish, he shared his verses with the American people and the works of American poets with the Polish people through his translations.
Poland, the United States and the world mourn the passing of Czesław Miłosz, but we all will remember and cherish his moral courage, his voice of reason, and his spiritual contribution to the struggle against communism.
On behalf of the American people, my wife and I extend our deepest condolences to the Miłosz family.
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