Klementyna Hoffmanowa
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Klementyna Hoffmanowa, born Klementyna Tańska (23 November 1798 – 21 September 1845) was a
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
,
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
,
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
,
translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...
,
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
and
activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
. She was the first woman in Poland to support herself from writing and teaching, as well as one of Poland's first writers of
children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...
. She made her debut in 1819 with a moralizing treatise ''A Souvenir After a Good Mother''. In the 1820s, she edited a popular magazine for children and published several children books, that have won a wide audience over several generations. She also published a number of novels, including: ''The Letters of Elżbieta Rzeczycka to her friend Urszula'' (1824) and, arguably her best known work, ''The Diary of Countess Francoise Krasinska'' (1825), translated into several languages, and recounted as one of the first Polish
psychological novels Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwee ...
. Hoffmanowa raised the postulate of economic self-empowerment of women. She believed that the first step for women to achieve independence should be gaining
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
to enable paid work. However, she held
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
views on the
role of women A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...
and referred to national and
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
values. In 1826, her candidacy for membership in the
Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning The Warsaw Society of Friends of Science ( pl, Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, ''TPN'') was one of the earliest Polish scientific societies, active in Warsaw from 1800 to 1832. Name The Society was also known as ''Warszawskie Królewskie Towarzyst ...
was submitted, but she was not accepted as a woman. She remained unmarried until the age of thirty, long by the standards of her time for a woman, and only in 1829 she married
Karol Boromeusz Hoffman Karol Aleksander Boromeusz Hoffman (1798 – 6 July 1875) was a Polish political writer, historian, lawyer and publisher. Biography From 1828 he was a counselor, and from 1830 one of the directors of Bank Polski. In the years 1828–1830, toget ...
. Until then she used her maiden name. Though writing was her main and most preferred activity and she considered herself primarily a writer, she also worked as a teacher (as an ''inspector'' or a ''visitator'') of female schools, and lecturer in moral science at the Governess' Institute in Warsaw (1826–1831). She educated a number of young women, some of whom later became writers and teachers themselves. Hoffmanowa was recalled with respect and appreciation by some of her students; in turn her pupil
Narcyza Żmichowska Narcyza Żmichowska (Warsaw, 4 March 1819 – 24 December 1876, Warsaw), also known under her popular pen name Gabryella, was a Polish novelist and poet. She is considered a precursor of feminism in Poland. Life Żmichowska became governess for ...
criticized Hoffmanowa's conservatism. During the
November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...
of Polish people against the
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. ...
, Hoffmanowa was a co-creator and chairman of the Union of Patriotic Charity of the Varsovians and carried the help to the wounded soldiers. After the fall of the uprising in 1831, she and her husband fled 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 ...
, where their house became a meeting place for Polish political refugees. In Paris, Hoffmanowa was active in the Charity Association of Polish Ladies and the Literary Society, and was called “the Mother of the
Great Emigration The Great Emigration ( pl, Wielka Emigracja) was the emigration of thousands of Poles and Lithuanians, particularly from the political and cultural élites, from 1831 to 1870, after the failure of the November Uprising of 1830–1831 and of ot ...
”. She was friends with Chopin and
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 R ...
. She died of
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
at the age of 46 and was buried at the
Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...
.


Biography

She came from a moderately rich
noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...
family. She was the daughter of Ignacy Tański, Polish writer and novelist. For some time she lived with her mother in
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 ...
. In 1819 she published her first book, ''Pamiątka po dobrej matce, czyli ostatnie jej rady dla córki'' (''A Souvenir After a Good Mother, or Her Final Advice to Her Daughter''), a monologue in which an older woman imparts final words of wisdom and advice to a daughter. In 1829 she married
Karol Boromeusz Hoffman Karol Aleksander Boromeusz Hoffman (1798 – 6 July 1875) was a Polish political writer, historian, lawyer and publisher. Biography From 1828 he was a counselor, and from 1830 one of the directors of Bank Polski. In the years 1828–1830, toget ...
, writer, lawyer and historian, and changed her name to Hoffmanowa, a marital form of her husband's surname. After Poland's
November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...
against the Russian Empire was crushed in the second half of 1831, Hoffmanowa moved with her husband to
Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
, and later settled in
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 ...
. She was called "the Mother of the
Great Emigration The Great Emigration ( pl, Wielka Emigracja) was the emigration of thousands of Poles and Lithuanians, particularly from the political and cultural élites, from 1831 to 1870, after the failure of the November Uprising of 1830–1831 and of ot ...
”. In 1919 a Warsaw high school, one of the oldest in the country, was named after her.


Selected works

''A list includes original Polish titles.'' * 1819: ''Pamiątka po dobrej Matce przez dobrą Polkę'' * 1823: ''Wiązanie Helenki'' * 1824: ''Listy Elżbiety Rzeczyckiej do przyjaciółki Urszuli za panowania Augusta III pisane'' * 1825: ''Druga książeczka Helenki'' * 1825: '' Dziennik Franciszki Krasińskiej w ostatnich latach Augusta III pisany'' (The Diary of Countess Francoise Krasinska) * 1830: ''Powieści z Pisma świętego'' (stories from the ''
Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
'') * 1832: ''Rozrywki dla Dzieci'' * 1833: ''Wybór pism'', volumes I–X * 1833: ''Biografie znakomitych Polaków i Polek'' * 1839: ''Karolina'' * 1841: ''Krystyna'' * 1845: ''Jan Kochanowski w Czarnolesie'' * 1849: ''Pisma pośmiertne'' * 1849: ''O powinnościach kobiet'' * 1851: ''Pismo święte wybrane z ksiąg Starego i Nowego Zakonu objaśnione uwagami pobożnych uczonych i ofiarowane matkom i dzieciom przez Autorkę Pamiątki po dobrej matce'' (stories from the ''Bible'') Posthumous publications: * 1857–1859: ''Pisma'', volumes I-XI * 1876: ''Dzieła'', volumes I-XII (edited by N. Żmichowska) * 1898: ''Wybór Dzieł'', volumes I-IV (edited by P. Chmielowski)


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmanowa, Klementyna 1798 births 1845 deaths Polish children's writers Polish women children's writers Polish translators Writers from Warsaw Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century Polish novelists 19th-century translators Polish women novelists 19th-century women writers