Jolanta Mazurek-Hildebrandt

Jolanta was born in Poland and grew up in the capital city of Warsaw. She was a young enthusiast of the 1981 “underground theatre”, which provided a creative outlet in the ever-increasing political unrest in Poland. Disheartened by the circumstances, she left her mother country with a small bag containing her handwritten volumes of poems, one towel, a handmade dress and a pair of jeans in search of new horizons.

Upon arriving in Australia, Jolanta began her studies at the University of Sydney in the Faculty of Archaeology and Heritage Studies. After graduating, she worked as an archaeologist in Sydney and Russia. In later years, after completing her master’s degree, Jolanta began working as a teacher and adult educator.

Jolanta’s passion for poetry continued and today she presents a selection of poems.

The poems are collated into volumes entitled “Songs”, “Words”, “I Am”, “Longing” and “Piast’s Temple”. These are works that delve into the nature of feelings and the meaning of words, poetically exploring a view of life which the poet coalesces with the notions of existence, unity and eternity.

The poems from the volume “Songs” are subtle and erotic, describing the lives of two lovers who desire to be together but cannot or are unable to. The poems in the volume entitled “Words” traverse a philosophical outlook into promises and our failures to keep them. The poems in the “I Am” volume ponder about the past and the present. The volume “Longing” expresses nostalgia and an intense longing for Poland. The volume “Piast’s Temple” is a pantheistic challenge to the traditional status quo of human existence.

The poems were presented by Jolanta at various Polish festivals in Sydney and Perth and were received enthusiastically by the audience.

Jolanta, a mother of three, currently lives and works as a teacher in Sydney, ever embracing her culture and language.