Zenon Przesmycki ( pen name ''Miriam''; Radzyń Podlaski, 22 December 1861 – 17 October 1944,

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 ...

), was a Polish poet, translator and art critic of the literary period of Młoda Polska, who studied law in Italy, France and England; in 1887–1888 he served as the editor-in-chief of the Warsaw magazine ''Życie'' (Life), an influential first-ever publication on

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

in Poland.

Professional career

Zenon Przesmycki was a member of the prestigious

Polish Academy of Literature The Polish Academy of Literature ( pl, Polska Akademia Literatury, PAL) was one of the most important state institutions of literary life in the Second Polish Republic, operating between 1933 and 1939 with the headquarters in Warsaw. It was foun ...

. He first discovered and popularised the work of Polish national poet Cyprian Norwid almost forgotten in exile. Przesmycki published the art magazine ''Chimera'' (1901–1908) featuring the works of Norwid. One of his closest friends was

Bolesław Leśmian Bolesław Leśmian (born Bolesław Lesman; January 22, 1877The exact date of his birth is disputed: the act of birth mentions 1877, Leśmian himself used 1878, while the date mentioned on his tombstone is 1879. – November 5, 1937) was a Pol ...

also involved there. Another friend of his, poet

Antoni Lange Antoni Lange (1863 – 17 March 1929) was a Polish poet, philosopher, polyglot (15 languages), writer, novelist, science-writer, reporter and translator. A representative of Polish Parnassianism and symbolism, he is also regarded as belonging ...

, wrote an ode to him, in a series of ''Odes to Friends'' (" Pieśni dla przyjaciół"). Przesmycki published many translations of renowned French poets, including

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited ...

and

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the '' fin de siècle'' in international and ...

, as well as

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

and Algernon Charles Swinburne from English. His own 1892 translation of

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

's ''The Drunken Boat'' (''

Le Bateau ivre "Le Bateau ivre" ("The Drunken Boat") is a 100-line verse-poem written in 1871 by Arthur Rimbaud. The poem describes the drifting and sinking of a boat lost at sea in a fragmented first-person narrative saturated with vivid imagery and symbolism. ...

'') became a literary event in partitioned Poland. In the interwar period, Przesmycki served as Minister of Culture and Art (1919).

References

External links

*
Zenon Przesmycki
at poezja.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Przesmycki 1861 births 1944 deaths Burials at Powązki Cemetery Polish poets Polish translators Members of the Polish Academy of Literature Culture ministers of Poland Polish male poets

Professional career

See also

References

External links