Artur Franciszek Oppman (14 August 1867 – 4 November 1931) was a

Young Poland Young Poland ( ) was a modernist period in Polish visual arts, literature and music, covering roughly the years between 1890 and 1918. It was a result of strong aesthetic opposition to the earlier ideas of Positivism. Young Poland promoted tre ...

poet who wrote under the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

"Or-Ot".

Life

Artur Oppman was born 14 August 1867, in Warsaw to a burgher family with German roots, which had arrived in Poland in 1708 from

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

. The family quickly became attached to Poland and cultivated Polish patriotism; Artur's grandfather took part in the Polish November 1830 Uprising, and his father in the January 1863 Uprising. Oppman attended a Warsaw '' gymnasium'' (secondary school), but because of severe

Russification Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy. Russification was at times ...

pressure (Warsaw was part of the

Russian partition The Russian Partition (), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The Russian ac ...

of Poland) he switched to an alternate trade school. There he began writing poetry. His peculiar pen-name began with the publication of his second poem, when an abbreviation of his name, "Ar-Op", was misrendered by the type-setter as "Or-Ot". Oppman's early poems were published in ''

Kurier Warszawski The ''Kurier Warszawski'' (or ''Warsaw Courier'') was a daily newspaper printed in Warsaw, Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carp ...

'' (The Warsaw Courier), ''Wędrowiec'' (The Wanderer), and ''Kurier Codzienny'' (The Daily Courier), which sought to promote new talent. Between 1883 and 1885 he also published in '' Tygodnik Ilustrowany'' (The Illustrated Weekly), ''Kłosy'' (Ears ruiting bodies of grain plants, and ''Świt'' (Dawn). From 1890 to 1892 he studied

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

. He was particularly interested in 16th-century Polish language and literature. In 1892 he married Władysława Trynkiewicz and discontinued his studies, returning to Warsaw. He frequented the city's

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

and studied the borough's people, lifestyle, customs, and local legends. In 1893, based on these experiences, he published a collection of poems, ''Ze Starego Miasta'' (From the Old Town), and in 1894 a related volume of ''Pieśni'' (Songs). In 1920 he enlisted in the army of resurrected

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, as an infantry private. He was made editor of the Army's magazine, ''Żołnierz Polski'' (The Polish Soldier).

Works

Especially popular were Oppman's poems celebrating the charms of Warsaw's Old Town. From 1901 to 1905 he edited ''Wędrowiec'' (The Wanderer). Oppman established extensive contacts in Warsaw's literary world, meeting often with

Bolesław Prus Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...

Stefan Żeromski Stefan Żeromski ( ; 14 October 1864 – 20 November 1925) was a Polish novelist and dramatist belonging to the Young Poland movement at the turn of the 20th century. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under ...

Felicjan Faleński Felicjan is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Gorzków, within Krasnystaw County, Lublin Voivodeship Lublin Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in the southeastern part of the ...

Władysław Reymont Władysław Stanisław Reymont (; born Rejment; 7 May 1867 – 5 December 1925) was a Polish novelist and the laureate of the 1924 Nobel Prize in Literature. His best-known work is the award-winning four-volume novel '' Chłopi'' (''The Peasant ...

Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer (12 February 1865 – 18 January 1940) was a Polish Goral poet, novelist, playwright, journalist and writer. He was a member of the Young Poland movement. Life Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer was born in Ludźmierz in Po ...

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

Antoni Lange Antoni Lange (28 April 1862 – 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 ...

Wojciech Kossak Wojciech Horacy Kossak (31 December 1856 – 29 July 1942) was a Polish Painting, painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of artists and writers. He was the son of painter Juliusz Kossak, and twin brother of freedom fighter Tadeusz Ko ...

Jan Lechoń Leszek Józef Serafinowicz (pen name: Jan Lechoń; 13 March 1899 – 8 June 1956) was a Polish poet, literary and theater critic, diplomat, and co-founder of the Skamander literary movement and the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America ...

, and others. Oppman also wrote many works for children, and edited calendars, almanacs, and poetry compilations.

References

External links

* * 1867 births 1931 deaths 19th-century Polish poets Polish male poets People from Congress Poland {{Poland-poet-stub

Life

Works

See also

References

External links