1911- . Polish writer, born in Lithuania. He
became a diplomat before defecting and
becoming a US citizen. His poetry in English
translation, classical in style, includes
Selected Poems 1973 and Bells in Winter 1978.
His best-known work is a collection of essays
The Captive Mind 1953, concerning the impact
of communism on Polish intellectuals. Among
his novels are The Seizure of Power 1955, The
Issa Valley 1981, and The Land of Ulro 1984.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
in 1980.