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10 Zlotys Zbigniew Herbert
| Issuer | National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2008 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a finely detailed sculptural effigy of Nike, the winged goddess of victory, rendered in left-facing profile with elaborately draped classical robes and intricately carved feathered wings, occupying the left portion of the field. To her right, a silhouetted shadow profile — evoking the presence of Zbigniew Herbert — is cast against the mirror-polished proof field, a direct allusion to the poet's celebrated poem 'Nike która się waha' (Nike Who Hesitates). The legend 'NIKE KTÓRA SIĘ WAHA' curves along the upper right rim in incuse lettering. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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Issued the year after Herbert's death — he died in July 1998 — this coin appeared a decade into the post-communist reassessment of his work. Herbert spent years in effective internal exile under the Polish People's Republic, his manuscripts circulated as samizdat and his emigration periods in part forced by the impossibility of publishing honestly at home. The regime he outlasted never fully reconciled with him.
The NBP's collector series honoring Polish poets has been uneven in its choices, but Herbert is an unimpeachable selection — his "Envoy of Mr Cogito" was read aloud at Solidarity gatherings in the 1980s.