Wislawa Szymborska (1923–2012) was a Polish poet who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. Her poem “The Joy of Writing” is a part of the secondary school curriculum in Slovenia within the framework of the subject Slovene. In her poetry, Szymborska playfully and lightly discusses many different themes. Furthermore, her poems often have an unexpected ending. Due to the wide spectrum of topics she deals with, her poems are well-suited for making interdisciplinary connections and are appropriate as introductory materials for a variety of different subjects. In this paper, Szymborska is presented firstly in the context of literary history. Secondly, approaches to Szymborska and the focal poem in three different third grade textbooks are discussed. Thirdly, other poems suitable for interdisciplinary connections are noted for each subject. Lastly, examples of school interpretations of the poems “Cat in an Empty Apartment” and “Psalm” are provided. Both poems are highly suitable for use in the secondary school curriculum due to their respective themes and unusual perspectives.
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