Żeromski, Stefan

Żeromski, Stefan

▪ Polish author
born October 14, 1864, Strawczyn, Poland, Russian Empire [now in Poland]
died November 20, 1925, Warsaw, Poland
 Polish novelist admired for the deep compassion about social problems that he expressed in naturalistic, yet lyrical, novels.

      Belonging to a family of impoverished gentry, Żeromski was born in the aftermath of the tragic 1863 January Insurrection against Russian rule, and that fact coloured his work in the years to come. Unable to get a high-school diploma, he entered the only accessible university in Warsaw, one devoted to veterinary medicine. Subsequently he worked first as a resident tutor in country houses and then as an assistant librarian in Switzerland and at the Zamoyski Library in Warsaw (1897–1904). From 1905, while living at Nałęczów, Żeromski furthered the cause of education for the masses and was arrested by the Russian authorities in 1908 for these activities. He subsequently lived in Paris (1909–12) and in Warsaw.

      Żeromski's first two collections of short stories, reflecting on the echoes in Polish society of the 1863 January Insurrection, were published in 1895. That theme returned in his masterpiece of the short-story genre, "Echa leśne" (1905; "Forest Echoes," Eng. trans. in Adam Gillon and Ludwik Krzyżanowski [eds.], Introduction to Modern Polish Literature), and again in the lyrical novel Wierna rzeka (1912; The Faithful River, filmed 1983). In both the short story and the novel the theme is elaborated by indelible images and by sad, compassionate comments on that national tragedy.

      Żeromski's first novel, Syzyfowe prace (1897; “Sisyphean Labours”), depicts the resistance of Polish schoolchildren to forced Russification, while Uroda życia (1913; “The Prime of Life”) focuses on the results of such a policy in a story about a Polish-born Russian officer who returns to Poland. In the novel Ludzie bezdomni (1900; “Homeless People”) Żeromski depicted the trials and tribulations of the Polish intelligentsia. The ambitious novel Popioły, 3 vol. (1904; Ashes, filmed 1965), a broad panorama of the Napoleonic Wars, firmly established his reputation. His last novel, Przedwiośnie (1925; “Early Spring”), portrays social and political problems facing independent Poland after World War I.

      Żeromski also wrote theatrical dramas, with Uciekła mi przepióreczka (1924; “A Quail Has Escaped Me”) becoming a standard feature of the Polish repertoire.

Jerzy R. Krzyzanowski
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Stefan Żeromski — before 1924 Born 14 October 1864(1864 10 14) Strawczyn, Congress Poland Died …   Wikipedia

  • Stefan Zeromski — Stefan Żeromski Stefan Żeromski ( Vorlage:Audio IPA pl); (* 14. Oktober 1864 in Strawczyn in der Nähe von Kielce; † 20. November 1925 in Warschau) war ein polnischer Schriftsteller. Stefan Żeromski stammt aus einer adligen Familie. Sein Vater… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Żeromski — Stefan Żeromski Stefan Żeromski ( Vorlage:Audio IPA pl); (* 14. Oktober 1864 in Strawczyn in der Nähe von Kielce; † 20. November 1925 in Warschau) war ein polnischer Schriftsteller. Stefan Żeromski stammt aus einer adligen Familie. Sein Vater… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Stefan Żeromski — (  [ ]); (* 14. Oktober 1864 in Strawczyn in der Nähe von Kielce; † 20. November 1925 in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Stefan Żeromski — Naissance 1864 Décès 1925 Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Żeromski — (izg. žeròmskī), Stefan (1864 1925) DEFINICIJA vodeći pripovjedač i dramski pisac »Mlade Poljske«, duhovni vođa poljske mladeži na prijelazu stoljeća; obilni opus širokog tematskog raspona, u povijesnim i suvremenim temama najviše posvećen… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Stefan Zeromski — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar …   Wikipedia Español

  • ZEROMSKI (S.) — face= EU Updot 爛eromski, romancier polonais que la plupart de ses compatriotes considéraient au début du XXe siècle comme l’incarnation de la conscience nationale, a plus qu’aucun autre écrivain exercé une influence profonde sur la sensibilité… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Żeromski —   [ʒɛ rɔmski], Stefan, Pseudonyme Mauricy Zych [zix] und Józef Katẹrla, polnischer Schriftsteller, * Strawczyn (bei Kielce) 14. 10. 1864, ✝ Warschau 20. 11. 1925; entstammte einer verarmten Adelsfamilie, war Hauslehrer und Bibliothekar (bis… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Stephan Zeromski — Stefan Żeromski Stefan Zeromski Naissance 1864 Décès 1925 Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”