Miłosz’s literary style and influences can be understood through the lens of his early career. While a student in Poland (in an area that is now Lithuania), Miłosz helped found a brief but influential poetry group known as Żagary. Miłosz cofounded the group with fellow students who would go on to become notable Polish poets: Teodor Bujnicki and Jerzy Zagórski.

While Żagary lasted only a few years, its commitments illuminate some of Miłosz’s central poetic precepts. The poets of Żagary considered themselves “catastrophists.” For these young poets living in the European era between two World Wars, catastrophism meant a commitment to engaging with the cultural and political devastation they witnessed around them. The poets of catastrophism were determined to move away from a direct lineage of influence, declaring themselves independent from other literary movements. Additionally, they were committed to Marxist ideas and engagement with the social chaos with which they were surrounded. The catastrophists did not define themselves by any particular literary device, style, or tone. This formal freedom and social engagement set the tone for Miłosz’s literary career.