Stanisław Przybyszewski (; 7 May 1868 – 23 November 1927) was a Polish novelist, dramatist, and poet of the

decadent The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of ...

naturalistic school. His

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

is associated with the

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

. He wrote both in German and in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

Life

Stanisław Feliks Przybyszewski was born in Lohdorf ( Łojewo) near Kruschwitz (

Kruszwica Kruszwica (german: Kruschwitz) is a town in central Poland and is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship (1975–1998). It has a population of 9,412 (2004). Initially founded in the 6th ...

) in Prussia. The son of a local teacher, Józef Przybyszewski, Stanisław attended a German gymnasium in Thorn (

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), graduating in 1889. He left for

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, where he first studied architecture and then medicine. It was there that he became fascinated by the philosophy of

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...

, began referring to himself as a Satanist and immersed himself into the

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

life of the city. In Berlin he lived with, but did not marry, Martha Foerder. They had had three children together; two before he left her to marry

Dagny Juel Dagny Juel-Przybyszewska (8 June 1867 – 5 June 1901) was a Norwegian writer, famous for her liaisons with various prominent artists, and for the dramatic circumstances of her death. She was the model for some of Edvard Munch's paintings. She ...

on 18 August 1893 and one during his marriage to Dagny. From 1893 to 1898 he lived with Dagny (formerly a model for

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

), sometimes in Berlin and at others in Dagny's hometown of

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aust ...

, in Norway. In Berlin they met other artists at Zum schwarzen Ferkel. In 1896 he was arrested in Berlin on suspicion of the murder of his common-law wife Martha, but released after it was determined that she had died of

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

. After Martha's death the children were sent to different foster homes. In the autumn of 1898, he and Dagny moved to Krakau (

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 ...

), in Austro-Hungarian Galicia, where he set himself up as the leader of a group of revolutionary young artists and as editor of their mouthpiece ''

Życie ''Życie'' (, "Life") was an illustrated weekly established in 1897 and published in Kraków and Lwów in the Austrian partition of Poland. Founded by Ludwik Szczepański, with time it became one of the most popular Polish literary and artistic ...

'' (Life). He remained a fervent apostle of

industrialism Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econom ...

and self-expression. He travelled to Lemberg (

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

) and visited the poet and playwright

Jan Kasprowicz Jan Kasprowicz (12 December 1860 – 1 August 1926) was a poet, playwright, critic and translator; a foremost representative of Young Poland. Biography Kasprowicz was born in the village of Szymborze (now part of Inowrocław) within the Prov ...

. Przybyszewski started an affair with Kasprowicz's wife Jadwiga Gąsowska. Kasprowicz had married Jadwiga, his second wife, in 1893; his first marriage to Teodozja Szymańska in 1886 had ended in divorce after a few months. Stachu Dagny

In 1899 Przybyszewski abandoned Dagny and set up house with Jadwiga in Varshava (

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

). Around this time he was also involved with

Aniela Pająkówna Aniela Pająkówna (1864, Medyka - 24 April 1912, Paris) was a Polish painter; mostly of portraits. Her daughter was the dramatist Stanisława Przybyszewska. Biography Her father was a coachman. Thanks to the generosity of his employers, the jo ...

, one of whose two daughters was Przybyszewski's. Dagny returned to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and was murdered by a young friend of hers, Władysław Emeryk, in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

in 1901. In 1905 Przybyszewski and Jadwiga moved to Thorn (

) where he attempted rehabilitation from his problems with alcohol. While there, Jadwiga's divorce was finalized and they married on 11 April 1905. Przybyszewski continued to struggle with alcoholism for the rest of his life. In 1906 the couple moved to München (

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

), financed by the sale of the manuscript of the play ''Śluby'' (''The Vows''). During the war they lived for a short time in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

(

Czech Lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since 1 ...

) and moved to newly re-established Poland in 1919. In Posen (

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

) he applied for the position of director of a literary theatre, but his work with German political brochures during the war prevented the appointment. He got a job working as a German translator for the post office. In 1920 he found similar work in the

Free City of Danzig The Free City of Danzig (german: Freie Stadt Danzig; pl, Wolne Miasto Gdańsk; csb, Wòlny Gard Gduńsk) was a city-state under the protection of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gda ...

(now

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

) with the railways. He lived in Danzig until 1924 and managed a Polish bookshop there. After Danzig, he tried to settle in

Zakopane Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been par ...

, and

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

— all without success. Finally he found work in Warszawa (

), in the offices of the President. He lived in rooms in the old Royal Castle. In 1927 he returned to the

Kujawy Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three t ...

region and died in

Jaronty Jaronty (german: Friedrichsgraben) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Inowrocław, within Inowrocław County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as Cuiavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or si ...

in November of that year, aged 59. He wrote a number of successful novels, of which ''Homo Sapiens'', the most popular, has been translated into English.

Works

*''Zur Psychologie des Individuums'' (1892) *''De Profundis'' (1895) *''Vigilien'' (1895) *''

Homo Sapiens Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

'' (1896) *''Die Synagoge des Satan'' (1897); ''Synagoga szatana'' (1899 Polish edition) *''Satans Kinder'' (1897) *''Das große Glück'' (1897) *''Epipsychidion'' (1900) *''Androgyne'' (1900) *''Totentanz der Liebe'' (1902) *''Erdensöhne'' (1905) *''Gelübde'' (1906) *''Polen und der heilige Krieg'' (1915) *''Von Polens Seele. Ein Versuch'' (1917) *''Der Schrei'' (1918) *''Moi współcześni'' (1928)

Drama

* '' The Eternal Fairy-Tale'' * '' The Golden Fleece'' * '' The Snow'' (''Schnee'', 1903) * ''

For Happiness ''For Happiness'' (russian: За счастьем) is a 1917 Russian drama film directed by Yevgeny Bauer. Plot Zoya Verenskaya and Dmitry Gzhatsky have been loving each other for 10 years, but Zoya does not want to harm the psyche of her daug ...

References

External links

Stanisław Przybyszewski
at Culture.pl * {{DEFAULTSORT:Przybyszewski, Stanislaw 1868 births 1927 deaths People from Inowrocław County People from the Province of Posen 19th-century Polish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Polish dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Polish novelists 20th-century Polish novelists Polish male novelists Symbolist dramatists and playwrights Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta 19th-century Polish male writers 20th-century Polish male writers Polish male dramatists and playwrights Writers from Bydgoszcz Polish writers in German

Life

Works

Drama

See also

References

External links