Wacław Kajetan Sieroszewski (24 August 1858 – 20 April 1945) was a Polish writer, Polish Socialist Party activist, and soldier in the World War I-era Polish Legions (decorated with the Virtuti Militari). For activities subversive of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, he had spent many years in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

. Sieroszewski's Siberian experiences became the subjects of his many stories and

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s—''Na kresach lasów'' (At the Edge of the Woods, 1894), ''Dno nędzy'' (The Depths of Misery, 1900), ''Risztau'' (1899), ''Ucieczka'' (The Escape, 1904), ''Zamorski diabeł'' (The Overseas Devil, 1900). He also authored the popular ''Bajki'' (

Fables Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...

, 1910). His ''12 lat w kraju Jakutów'' (12 years in the Yakut country, 1900) provides the first extensive ethnographic account of the

Yakut Yakut or Yakutian may refer to: * Yakuts, the Turkic peoples indigenous to the Sakha Republic * Yakut language, a Turkic language * Yakut scripts, Scripts used to write the Yakut language * Yakut (name) * Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ...

people. Sieroszewski visited Korea (then the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

) in 1903. He arrived via boat to

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, then traveled through the peninsula with an interpreter, speaking with locals on the way to the capital

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. He published a book on his experiences in the peninsula in 1905. The trip appeared to make an impression on him, and he would frequently mention Korea in later interviews. He once likened Korea's political situation, in which multiple foreign powers were encroaching on it, to Poland's. Whilst in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1910, he heard that

Jan Wacław Machajski Jan Wacław Machajski (pseudonym A. Wolski (A. Vol'ski), often corrupted in Russian as Makhaev; 27 December 1866 – 19 February 1926) was a Polish revolutionary whose methodology drew from both anarchism and Marxism whilst criticising both as be ...

had been asking his friend

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 ...

to provide a reference so that Machajski's wife would be employed by

Kazimierz Dłuski Kazimierz Dłuski (; 1855–1930) was a Polish physician, and social and political activist. He was a member of the Polish Socialist Party. In later life, he was a founder and activist of many non-governmental organizations; he was the founder a ...

. Having heard rumours circulated by the

Polish Social Democratic Party of Galicia Polish Social Democratic Party of Galicia () was a political party in Galicia. The party was formed in 1890 as the Galician territorial organization of the Social Democratic Workers Party of Austria. In 1892 it took the name Social Democratic Par ...

that Machajski was a terrorist, Sieroszewski wrote to Dłuski warning against getting involved with the Machajskis. When this letter fell into the hands of the police, they promptly arrested Machajski.

Professional background

Under the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

, Sieroszewski was a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

, and president of the Union of Polish Writers (''Związek Zawodowy Literatów Polskich'', 1927–30) and the

Polish Academy of Literature The Polish Academy of Literature () 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 founded by the decree of the Council of ...

(''Polska Akademia Literatury'', 1933–1939).

Selected filmography

* '' Exile to Siberia'' (1930)

References

* "Sieroszewski Wacław," ''

Encyklopedia Polski This is a list of encyclopedias by language. Albanian Encyclopedias written in Albanian. * '' Albanian Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (): published by Academy of Sciences of Albania; ** First Edition (1985; ''FESH'') ** New Edition (2008/09; ''Botim ...

'', p. 614 ''et passim''.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sieroszewski, Waclaw 1858 births 1945 deaths People from Wołomin County People from Warsaw Governorate Government ministers of Poland Senators of the Second Polish Republic (1935–1938) 19th-century Polish novelists 20th-century Polish novelists Polish male novelists 19th-century Polish male writers 20th-century Polish male writers Members of the Polish Academy of Literature Polish exiles in the Russian Empire Polish soldiers Polish legionnaires (World War I) Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Writers from the Russian Empire