Michał Bałucki, pseudonym ''Elpidon'' (September 29, 1837 in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

– October 17, 1901 in Kraków), was a Polish playwright and poet.

Biography

He studied at Saint's Ann gymnasium in Cracow, and then at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

. He was an active member of a youth organization that wanted to help

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

fighting the

tsarist Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...

regime In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...

in Russian occupied Poland, but he did not fight in the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

. He was sentenced to prison for conspiracy after being arrested at the end of 1863. He debuted in 1861 with poems based on folklore motifs. In his poems, he attacked Galician aristocrats and the middle class that looked up to them. At the end of his life he suffered from neurosis and depression and, after a virulently critical article written by

Lucjan Rydel Lucjan Rydel, also known as Lucjan Antoni Feliks Rydel (17 May 1870 in Kraków – 8 April 1918 in Bronowice Małe), was a Polish playwright and poet from the Young Poland movement. Life Rydel was the son of Lucjan Rydel, a surgeon, ophthalmolo ...

, he committed suicide in

Błonia Park Błonia Park is a vast meadow with an area of 48 hectares directly adjacent to the historic centre of the city of Kraków, Poland. The history of the park began in 1162, when a wealthy nobleman Jaksa z Miechowa – founder of the Polish branch o ...

Works

Novels: * 1864 Awakening * 1866 Elders and young * 1870 Glittering poverty * 1871 Jewess * 1872 It is about a piece of land * 1874 From a camp to a camp * 1875 White Negro (Biały

murzyn ' () is a common Polish language, Polish word for a black person (person of Sub-Saharan African descent). Etymology The word '' is derived from a Czech borrowing of the German ''wikt:Mohr, Mohr'', derived from Latin ''wikt:Maurus, Maurus'', s ...

) * 1881 Lordly beggars * 1881 Cracow's images * 1885 In Jewish hands * 1887 The Mayor from Pipidówka Comedies: * 1867 Councillor's councillors * 1871 Hunting a husband * 1871 Hard-working lazybones * 1873 Emancipation * 1879 Cousins * 1880 Neighbours * 1881 Big shot * 1883 Neighbours: Open house * 1889 Neighbours: Hard times * 1890 Neighbours: Bachelors' club

References

* E. Rosner, Cieszyńskie okruchy literackie, Cieszyn 1983, s. 14-15.

Bibliography

* Rosner E., Cieszyńskie okruchy literackie, Cieszyn 1983, s. 14-16. * Anna Sobiecka, "Michał Bałucki i teatr: wybrane problemy i aspekty", Słupsk 2006,

External links

Polish Literature in English Translation: Michał Bałucki

Michał Bałucki
at poezja.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balucki, Michal Jagiellonian University alumni Polish male dramatists and playwrights Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery 1837 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Polish poets 19th-century Polish dramatists and playwrights Polish male poets 19th-century Polish male writers 1901 suicides Polish positivists