Literary Evening in Honour of Czeslaw Milosz

Ambassador Henczel
Ambassador Rudalevičius
Mr. Griffiths
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a pleasure to welcome you all for this literary evening in honour of Czeslaw Milosz, the celebrated Lithuanian, Polish and American poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980. I particularly thank the Permanent Missions of Poland, Lithuania and the United States of America for organizing this special event, which pays tribute to a hero of the history of his time and literature of his time.

Dear Colleagues:
On 30 June, the world will celebrate the 100th birthday anniversary of Czeslaw Milosz in recognition of his many contributions to the global intellectual and literary community. His poems dealt with metaphysics, immortality, love, memory and beauty. At the same time, they fought totalitarian ideology and expressed democratic principles.

One of the most important writers from Eastern Europe, Milosz survived both World War I and the German occupation in Warsaw during World War II, where he was involved in underground resistance literary activity. After the war, in exile, he continued to fight for democracy through his poetry, essays and prose, showing how one individual can make a difference.

For Western culture, he was a bridge leading to the East. Thanks to his essays, books and translations, the thoughts and ideas of personalities such as Simone Weil, Thomas Merton and Wiliam Blake reached the countries of Eastern Europe. In this way, Milosz‘s writings touched people all over the world – regardless of origin.

The power and transformative nature of literature is exemplified by the life and work of Czeslaw Milosz. It is through learning how to read and write, learning how to express ideas, that a child can grow up to change the world. The United Nations has made this a priority. Through the Millennium Development Goals, governments have committed to achieving universal primary education by 2015.

Dear Colleagues:
The life and great works of Czeslaw Milosz inspire us all. The principles of democracy, respect for humanity and freedom for which he stood are universal. The United Nations strives to promote these values every day through our work.

Thank you very much.