Anna Swir's poetry is featured in the best-selling anthologies Ten Poems to Set You Free and Risking Everything

Anna Swir (1909-1984) famously said "A poet should be as sensitive as an aching tooth." Swir was one of Poland's most distinguished poets, and she was open in her feminism and eroticism, with poetry that explored the life of the female body--from the agonizing depths of wartime to delirious sensual delight. The New York Times wrote that Swir's poetry pointed toward a "ferocious internal life."

A member of the Resistance during the Nazi...