Seweryn Goszczyński (4 November 1801,
Illintsi - 25 February 1876,
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
) was a
Polish Romantic prose writer and poet.
Life
He was born on 4 November 1801 in
Ilińce,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
and hailed from a Polish
noble family
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
of the
Pobóg coat of arms. Goszczyński did not receive a thorough education because his parents were not well off. He studied with breaks in different schools, the
Basilian
Basilian may refer to a number of groups who are followers of Saint Basil the Great and specifically to:
* Basilian monks (founded c. 356), monks who follow the rule of Saint Basil the Great, in modern use refers to monks of Eastern Catholic Chur ...
School in
Uman
Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...
being the one where he stayed the longest period of time. At this school he made friends with
Zaleski and
Grabowski. In 1820 he moved to
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 officiall ...
, where he joined the secret Union of Free Polish Brothers.
On hearing the news about the outbreak of the insurrection in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
, in August 1821, he walked to Ukraine in order to get to the fighting rebels via
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
. Due to a lack of funds, he stopped in Ukraine, where he remained till 1830, engaging in conspiratorial activities. He frequently changed his lodging as he was being sought by the police. During this period he wrote many patriotic poems, including Uczta zemsty.
In June 1830 he returned to Warsaw and joined Piotr Wysocki’s conspiracy. He took part in the attack on the Belvedere Palace in November 1830; then he fought (with the rank of captain) in General J. Dwernicki’s corps. He took part in the battles at
Stoczek and
Nowa Wieś. After the capitulation of Warsaw he crossed the Prussian border together with General Rybiński’s corps. The experiences connected with this fact found their outlet in the poem ''Wyjście z Polski''.
Eventually, he settled in Galicia, but did not give up his social and political activity. The Union of Twenty One was created on his initiative in Lwów in 1832. Around 1835 he established the Polish People’s Society in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
. He was the co-founder of the literary group Ziewonia. He hid under false names because the Austrian police were after him (a court in Warsaw had sentenced him by default to capital punishment). His stay at
Podhale
Podhale (literally "below the mountain pastures") is Poland's southernmost region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish Highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains. It is the most famous ...
resulted in his interest in the culture of this region and the introduction of the
Tatras
The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak () or in Polish () - ''plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the high ...
into
Polish literature
Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages used in Poland over the centuries have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Lati ...
.
In 1838 he emigrated to France. In Strasbourg he co-edited a satirical magazine "Pszonka", which was ideologically connected with the Polish Democratic Society. Here he met
Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish ...
and
Słowacki. In 1842 he joined the ''Towiańczycy Circle''. At that time he cut himself off from his previous political activities and gave up writing for many years. He remained faithful to the Circle till the end of his life. He was badly off, and almost died of starvation during The Paris Commune. In 1872 he came back to his home country thanks to his friends’ help. His countrymen enthusiastically welcomed him and he settled in Lwów. He died four years later, in 1876. He was buried in the
Łyczaków Cemetery
Lychakiv Cemetery ( uk, Личаківський цвинтар, translit=Lychakivs’kyi tsvyntar; pl, Cmentarz Łyczakowski we Lwowie), officially State History and Culture Museum-Preserve "Lychakiv Cemetery" ( uk, Державний істор ...
in
Lwów
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
.
''Zamek kaniowski''
''Zamek kaniowski'', which was published in Warsaw in 1828, belongs to a group of very important romantic novels of Polish Romanticism. Its theme is woven around events which were based on the
Haydamack Insurrection in Ukraine in 1768. Goszczyński used Ukrainian folklore in a very innovative way in order to create a poetic world. In this work, the fate of the protagonists and the course of historical events are dependent on the interference of evil forces which take part in earthly history. ''Zamek kaniowski'' was translated into
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
, French, German,
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
.
See also
*
Romanticism in Poland
Romanticism in Poland, a literary, artistic and intellectual period in the evolution of Polish culture, began around 1820, coinciding with the publication of Adam Mickiewicz's first poems in 1822. It ended with the suppression of the January 186 ...
References
Virtual Library of Polish Literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goszczynski, Seweryn
Polish male writers
November Uprising participants
1801 births
1876 deaths