Jacek Kaczmarski
Jacek Marcin Kaczmarski Pl-Jacek Kaczmarski.ogg (22 March 1957 – 10 April 2004) was a Polish singer, songwriter, poet and author.
Also recorded as Jacek Marcin Kaczmarski
Jacek Kaczmarski

Paweł Plenzner · own work by Paweł Plenzner · CC BY 3.0
- Name
- Jacek Kaczmarski
- Born
- 22 March 1957
- Birthplace
- Warsaw, Poland
- Died
- 10 April 2004
- Place of death
- Gdańsk, Poland
- Occupation
- Singer, songwriter, poet, author
- Nationality
- Poland
- Fields
- poetry · protest song · lyrics · guitar performance
- Education
- Faculty of Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw · University of Warsaw
- Known for
- Mury
- Honours
- Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta · Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Languages
- Polish
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Documentary summary
Jacek Marcin Kaczmarski Pl-Jacek Kaczmarski.ogg (22 March 1957 – 10 April 2004) was a Polish singer, songwriter, poet and author.
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Note VALÉORINE
Jacek Kaczmarski (1957–2004) was a composer, guitarist and lyricist, among other activities, of Polish nationality. The composer was born in Warsaw and died in Gdańsk.
Jacek Kaczmarski was educated at University of Warsaw. The composer worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was a member of Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich. Activity centred on guitar performance, lyrics and poetry.
Among the works is Mury. The work spans sung poetry. Languages used include Polish. Honours include Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta and Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q561127 · wikipedia · Jacek Kaczmarski
In this article
Biography
Biography
Jacek Kaczmarski studied at Faculty of Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw and University of Warsaw. The recorded working language is Polish. The field of work recorded is poetry, protest song and lyrics. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are sung poetry. Works named in the authority record are Mury. Distinctions recorded are Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta and Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jacek Kaczmarski • Born — 22 March 1957 • Birthplace — Warsaw, Poland • Died — 10 April 2004 • Place of death — Gdańsk, Poland • Instrument — Classical guitar • Genre — Sung poetry • Occupation — Singer, songwriter, poet, author • Years Active — 1977–2004 • Website — kaczmarski.art.pl
Life
Life
He was the son of painter Anna Trojanowska-Kaczmarska, a Pole of Jewish background, and the artist Janusz Kaczmarski. Kaczmarski was a voice of the Solidarity trade union movement in 1980s Poland. His songs criticized the ruling communist regime and appealed to the tradition of patriotic resistance within Poles. He remains best known for his protest songs on social and political subjects ("Mury" (Walls) based on "L'Estaca" by Lluís Llach, "Obława" (Wolf hunt (lit. Raid))). However, his commentary was not restricted to contemporary politics, and his texts' themes have retained their relevance in Polish culture beyond the collapse of the Soviet Union and its communist bloc. He made his debut in 1977 at the Student Song Festival, where he was awarded first prize for his work "Obława" based on the song "Охота на волков" by Vladimir Vysotsky. In 1980 he won second prize at the Opole Song Festival for "Epitafium dla Włodzimierza Wysockiego" (Epitaph for Vladimir Vysotsky). Kaczmarski was on tour in France when the martial law was declared in Poland in December 1981. He lived in exile until 1990. During these years he gave concerts in Western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Israel. From 1982 on, he worked as an editor and journalist with Radio Free Europe and hosted his own radio program, "Kwadrans Jacka Kaczmarskiego" (Fifteen Minutes with Jacek Kaczmarski). After his return to Poland (following the Round Table negotiations that brought an end to communist rule) he toured the country with his friend, artist Zbigniew Łapiński. The tour was recorded and released as Live, and it achieved Gold album status in 2001. His other albums included "Mury" (Walls), "Nasza klasa" (Our Class), "Raj" (Paradise), "Muzeum" (Museum), "Pochwała łotrostwa" (In Praise of Villainy), "Wojna postu z karnawałem" (The War between Carnival and Lent). However, Kaczmarski was soon disillusioned by the developments in Poland after 1989 and eventually emigrated to Australia. Kaczmarski was known not only for his politically motivated lyrics but also for his characteristically dynamic – even aggressive – classical guitar playing, and expressive performance style. His deep knowledge of not only his nation's history but also of classical literature gave his songs a particularly deep and multi-layered resonance (e.g. "Powtórka z Odysei," recalled Homer's Odyssey, while the ballad "Lalka" masterfully retells Boleslaw Prus's second novel of the same name, The Doll.). He often performed before contrastingly different audiences: groups of friends in their homes, campus venues, and large concert halls in Poland, the rest of Europe, and America. Kaczmarski was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 2002. He died in a hospital in Gdańsk in 2004. Jacek Kaczmarski suffered from severe alcoholism, which often led to domestic violence. His wife and daughter have revealed that Kaczmarski often vented his frustration by beating them.
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the heading Jacek Marcin Kaczmarski. His recorded language was Polish. He was the child of Janusz Kaczmarski and Anna Trojanowska-Kaczmarska. He married Inka Kardyś and Ewa Volny. One child is recorded: Patrycja Volny.
Identity
Identity
Jacek Kaczmarski is recorded as having received Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta and Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta. Career and activity. Kaczmarski worked in poetry, protest song, lyrics, guitar performance and philology. He belonged to Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1957–2004
The full dated record · 3 entries
1957
Jacek Kaczmarski born at Warsaw.
1982
Zbroja is dated 1982.
2004
Jacek Kaczmarski died at Gdańsk.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Warsaw.
Birth place
Gdańsk.
Death place
Discography
• Mury, 1979 • Raj, 1980 • Muzeum, 1981 • Krzyk, 1981 • Strącanie aniołów, 1982 • Carmagnole, 1982 • Chicago – Live, 1983 • Litania, 1987 • Kosmopolak, 1987 • Dzieci Hioba, 1989 • Głupi Jasio, 1990 • Live, 1990 • Mury w Muzeum Raju, 1991 • Bankiet, 1992 • Wojna postu z karnawałem, 1992 • Sarmatia, 1993 • Szukamy stajenki, 1993 • Pochwała łotrostwa, 1995 • Między nami, 1997 • Koncert '97, 1997 • Dwie Skały, 1999 POL No. 37 • Dwadzieścia (5) lat później, 2000 POL #26 • Mimochodem, 2001 POL #18 • Złota kolekcja: Jacek Kaczmarski – Źródło, 2003 POL #8 • Syn marnotrawny, 2004 (Box set) POL #15 • Świadectwo, 2005 POL #25 • Suplement, 2006 (Box set) POL #47 • Mała Arka Noego, 2007 (Box set) • Arka Noego, 2007 (Box set) • Scena to dziwna, 2008 (Box set) • In Memoriam, 2014 POL #9
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Пусть стены рухнут, рухнут, рухнут! 10 главных польских песен о свободе, Culture.pl
- 2.Jacek Kaczmarski – biografia, wiersze, utwory – poezja.org. poezja.org.
- 3.Polish Sung Poetry: Word, Song, Beauty, and Resistance. 2025-11-07.
- 4.Córka znanego artysty: Zobaczyłam jak leje mamę. muzyka.dziennik.pl. 2017-09-20.
- 5.Oficjalna lista sprzedaźy :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart.
- 6.Oficjalna lista sprzedaźy :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart.
- 7.Oficjalna lista sprzedaźy :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart.
- 8.Oficjalna lista sprzedaźy :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart.
- 9.Oficjalna lista sprzedaźy :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart.
- 10.Oficjalna lista sprzedaźy :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart.
- 11.Oficjalna lista sprzedaźy :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart.
- 12.Oficjalna lista sprzedaźy :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q561127: Jacek KaczmarskiWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
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