Wislawa Szymborska, a leading creator of post-war Europe, the poet "of experience and wisdom," as stated by a significant critic from Poland, never accepted the role of "ephemeral authority." Whenever she was invited to comment on her verses, she would usually respond as follows: "This is a very good question, please come in spring, because I need some time to think about it," or "Very good question, should I perhaps write a poem in response?".

Even in her speech for accepting the Nobel Prize in Literature, she emphasized a humble "I don't know," a modest yet substantial phrase for her, as it roots her subtle, ironic style in an insatiable curiosity that drives the endless search within the uncertain world and her complex reality. A central pillar in Szymborska's unparalleled work is reflection on the intricate meaning of our fate.

Moreover, she had the gift of highlighting the most overlooked aspects of supposedly insignificant things in everyday life. We read her poetry, and we are almost constantly accompanied by a sense of awe, which, moreover, constitutes a key motivation for her own "poetic philosophy." This awe pertains to both the macrocosm and the microcosm, concerns humanity, which can be both tragic and comic, and pertains to each existence, animals, plants, and inanimate objects. Everything has a place in her poetry.

"Wislawa Szymborska developed an incredibly original perspective on the world, filled with skepticism and passion. What impresses in her case is that she wrote thoughtful poems that are simultaneously transparent and easy to understand. This is a real achievement!" - Adam Zagajewski

"The poet does not need to take literary trends into account, the ever-changing aesthetics of the times, because she herself defines the rules of communication with the reader. Her style, perfected over the years, marvelously serves the composition of literary achievements and the summary of philosophical inquiries. This does not mean stagnation or retrogression; on the contrary, Wislawa Szymborska fills the empty spaces in her thematic and conceptual system. She changes the hierarchy of posed issues, enriches the observation of daily events by seeking new contexts for them. Particularly privileged areas of her reflection are memory, time, and the decay it brings." - Wojciech Ligęza

"Direct and bright poetry. Her irony, her cheerful, untamed irreverence, and her thirst for a surprise that refreshes the view of the world made Wislawa Szymborska an opponent of every tyrannical certainty. She embodies all the virtues of the Western spirit: freedom, unease, questioning." - The New York Times Book Review