Born in Lublin in 1961, he has lived in Cracow since 1980. He Studied Polish at the Jagiellonian University, works as a proofreader at Tygodnik Powszechny. He has won various literary prizes, including the 1996 Koscielski Prize and Gdynia Literary Award'2009.

An impaired and alien cult poet, he is by his own definition someone who has "never really or completely been in the mainstream". Swietlicki's work has an intense effect across the literary spectrum: critics have not remained indifferent, the public eagerly buys up new editions, and young people identify with his message, perhaps because he has also fronted the rock group Świetliki since 1993. He is almost always seen as an outsider, a rebel, and a voluntary exile from the spheres of official culture. On the other hand, being an outsider means, in this case, not only standing off to the side, being rootless, discouraged, indifferent, prickly and harsh, but also being an alert and sensitive observer of a false reality, exposing the animality of his own and others, that is hidden behind the facade of culture and faith. He is a critic of manners, an ironist, a traumatic patriot. He has not cut himself off from public life "once and for all," but rather "again and again," and he keeps scratching at old wounds.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Poems:

• Zimne kraje, Warszawa-Kraków: Brulion, 1992.
• Schizma, Poznań: Obserwator, 1994.
• Zimne kraje 2, Kraków: Zebra, 1995.
• Trzecia połowa, Poznań: a5, 1996.
• 37 wierszy o wódce i papierosach, Bydgoszcz: Instytut Wydawniczy "Świadectwo", 1996.
• Pieśni profana, Gładyszów: Czarne, 1998.
• Czynny do odwołania, Wołowiec: Czarne, 2000.
• Wiersze wyprane, Legnica: Biuro Literackie, 2002.
• Nieczynny, Warszawa: Lampa i Iskra Boża, 2002.
• 49 wierszy o wódce i papierosach, Wrocław: Port Legnica, 2004.
• Trzecia połowa, Wrocław: Biuro Literackie, 2005
• Muzyka środka, Kraków: a5, 2006.
• Nieoczywiste, Kraków: EMG, 2007
• Niskie pobudki, Kraków: EMG, 2009
• Wiersze, Kraków: EMG, 2011
• Jeden, Kraków: EMG, 2013
• Delta Dietla, Kraków: EMG, 2015

Prose:

• Dwanaście, Kraków: Wydawnictwo EMG, 2006
• Trzynaście, Kraków: Wydawnictwo EMG, 2007
• Jedenaście, Kraków: Wydawnictwo EMG, 2008
• Orchidea, Kraków: Wydawnictwo EMG, 2009 (współautorzy: Gaja Grzegorzewska oraz Irek Grin)
• Powieści, Kraków: Wydawnictwo EMG, 2011

TRANSLATIONS

Estonian:

• Kolmteist [Trzynaście], trans. Hendrik Lindepuu, Tartu: Hendrik Lindepuu Kirjastus, 2010

Russian:

• 100 stichotworienij o wodkie i cigarietach [100 wierszy o wódce i papierosach], tłum. Igor Biełow, Moskwa: Agro-Risk, 2016

Serbian:

• Ispod vulkana [wybrane wiersze], Beograd: Književna Omladina Srbije, 2002.

Slovak:

• Piesne ignoranta [wybrane wiersze], Banská Bystrica: Drewo a Srd, 2000.

Slovenian:

• Pesmi ignoranta [wybrane wiersze], Ljubljana: Center za Slovensko Književnost, 2002.

Spanish:

• in anthology: 101 (6 poetas polacos contemporáneos), trans. Mauricio Barrientos, Maciej Ziętara, Santiago de Chile: RiL editores, 2008