Boleslaw Lesmian
Boleslaw Lesmian, originally born Boleslaw Lesman on January 12, 1878, in Warsaw, Poland, was a notable Polish poet of Jewish descent. He grew up in Kiev, Ukraine, and later studied law at Saint Vladimir University. Lesmian's literary career began in 1895, but he initially struggled for recognition until he adopted a more Polish-sounding surname, Lesmian. His first significant work, "Sad rozstajny," was published in 1912, but it did not gain much attention.
In the following years, he became involved in the arts, helping to establish an experimental theater and co-founding the art newspaper "Chimera." Lesmian drew inspiration from the Young Poland movement and infused his poetry with elements of folklore, the grotesque, and the symbolic, often blending the fantastic with realism. His most acclaimed work, "Laka" (1920), helped solidify his reputation, leading to his election to the Polish Academy of Literature in 1933. Though he published limited quantities, he is now regarded as one of the most influential poets in early twentieth-century Poland. Lesmian passed away on November 5, 1937, in Warsaw, and his poetry continues to resonate, with selections translated into English in 1984.
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Boleslaw Lesmian
Poet
- Born: January 12, 1878
- Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
- Died: November 5, 1937
- Place of death: Warsaw, Poland
Biography
Boleslaw Lesmian (originally Lesman) was born on January 12, 1878, in Warsaw, Poland. Part of a Jewish family, he gew up and went to school in Kiev, Ukraine. He studied law and graduated from the Saint Vladimir Unversity. In the early part of the twentieth century, he visited a number of European cities. In one of them, he married Zofia Chylinska, a painter.
Although he made his debut in 1895 (a series of poems published in W drowiec magazine), his works initially went unnoticed. To sound “more Polish,” Lesman adopted a slightly modified version of his surname which included typically Polish sounds—Lesmian. According to various conflicting sources, either of two men may have suggested this new name, which eventually became his official surname. One was the poet’s uncle, Antoni Lange, a famous poet himself, or a renowned bon-vivant of Warsaw, Franc Fiszer.
Lesmian’s first booklet of poetry issued in Warsaw in 1912 (Sad rozstajny) did not bring him much publicity, and in 1912 Lesmian moved to France. He returned in 1914. When he returned to Warsaw, he helped found an experimental artistic theater, and joined a friend in publishing the Chimera art newspaper. During most of his working life, Lesmian was a minor public official in a number of small Polish towns.
He became a lyric poet, best known as being among the first to adapt Symbolism and expressionism into Polish verse. The volume that went furthest in establishing his reputation as a writer was published in 1920 and titled Laka (the meadow). Other works included Sad rozstajny (1912; orchard); Napój cienisty (1936; the shadowy drink), and Dziejba lesna (1938; woodland tale). However, Lesmian did not publish in quantity, and so garnered little recognition at the time. He did gain enough recognition to be elected a member of the Polish Academy of Literature in 1933.
As time went on, he would become one of the most influential poets in Poland of the early twentieth century. He was a cousin to Jan Brzechwa, another poet. Lesmian was influenced by poetry that was part of what became known as the Young Poland movement. He developed his own style, which combined parts of the fantastic with elements of folklore, the grotesque with the realistic, and the symbolic with the visionary. He created a unique and stylized folk ballad type of poetry, and was also unique in writing erotic Polish poetry.
He died November 5, 1937, in Warsaw. A collection of his poems translated into English was published in 1984, as Mythematics and Extropy: Selected Poems of Boleslaw Lesmian.