poet, essayist, prose writer, literary critic, representative of the New Wave generation, a signatory of Letter 59 (1975), since 1976 subject to censorship, in 1982-2002 in exile in France, since 1983 editor of „Zeszyty Literackie”, he was awarded the Kościelski Foundation Award (1975), the Neustadt International Prize for Literature (2004) and the Princess of Asturias Award (2017), in 1973-1983 he was a member of the Polish Writers’ Union, since 1979 a member of the Polish PEN Club, since 2006 a member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences; academic teacher, literary translator.

He has a dozen or so poetry volumes, the most important of which are: Komunikat / Communication (1972), Sklepy mięsne / Meat Shops (1975), List / Letter. Oda do wielości / Ode to Multiplicity (1983), Jechać do Lwowa / Go to Lviv and Other Poems (1985), Płótno / Canvas (1990), Ziemia ognista / Fire Land (1994), Pragnienie / Desire (1999), Powrót / Return (2003), Anteny / Antennas (2005).

He is one of the most frequently translated Polish contemporary authors. He has won many prestigious international awards, including the Vilenica International Prize, Nikolaus-Lenau-Preis, Tomas Tranströmer Prize and the Neustadt Prize.