The poetry collection Pieśni Papuszy was published in 1956 with a preface by Jerzy Ficowski, cementing her literary reputation in Poland.
In 1956, the collection Pieśni Papuszy ("Songs of Papusza") was published, gathering her poetry with an extensive scholarly and biographical preface written by Jerzy Ficowski. This volume represented the fullest published presentation of her work to that date and solidified her standing as a serious literary figure within Polish letters, distinguishing her from the earlier magazine excerpts that had introduced her to readers in 1950.
The collection was notable for presenting Roma poetic tradition — largely oral, communal, and previously undocumented in published Polish literature — as a legitimate and powerful literary form deserving serious critical attention. Ficowski's preface, while instrumental in bringing her work to wider audiences, also controversially revealed details of Roma customs and internal community life, which contributed to tensions between Papusza and Roma leaders who accused her of betraying communal secrets.
Despite this controversy, the publication of Pieśni Papuszy remains a landmark in the history of Roma literature in Europe, often cited as the first substantial published book of poetry by a Romani author in Poland. It ensured her enduring reputation as a foundational voice in Roma literary and cultural history, even as the personal cost to her — social ostracism from her own community — proved severe and lasting.