Poland is invaded by Germans from the west and Russians from the east border. In 1941 Russia joins the Allies whereby Poland has only one enemy. Szymborska belongs to the latter. Polish writers and poets join the struggle either by taking part in the resistance movement or by propagating Polish culture through distribution of clandestine newspapers and by publishing literary magazines. May 1945 - the second World War is over.
Writers try to describe the traumatic experience of the war crimes and genocide.
Literature is suppose to give priority to the truth over esthetical values. Very important for literary life of those days are meetings of the Polish Writers Union. The first one takes place in Cracow in September of 1945. A lot of people are arrested on trumped up charges and tortured. At a 1949 meeting of the Polish Writers Union in Szczecin, Socialist Realism is declared to be the one and only direction for Polish literature.