Stefan Żeromski
Stefan Żeromski was a prominent Polish writer born on November 1, 1864, near Kielce, in a noble family that faced financial difficulties. His works often reflect the struggles against Russian domination, particularly the resistance of Polish secret organizations, drawn from his personal experiences, including a period of imprisonment during the 1905 revolt. Żeromski was involved in political activism, which led to his semi-voluntary exile in France and Austrian Galicia until the end of World War I. Although he wrote plays and poetry, he is best known for his novels, with "Ashes" being particularly notable, often likened to "War and Peace" in its scope and character development. His writing is characterized by a lyrical yet darkly pessimistic tone, aligning him with the Polish positivist literary movement. Despite his significant contributions to Polish literature and national consciousness, his extreme nationalism and thematic concerns may have hindered his candidacy for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Żeromski passed away in Warsaw on November 20, 1925, leaving behind a rich literary legacy.
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Stefan Żeromski
Polish novelist
- Born: November 1, 1864
- Birthplace: Strawczyn, near Kielce, Poland, Russian Empire
- Died: November 20, 1925
- Place of death: Warsaw, Poland
Biography
Stefan Żeromski (zheh-RAWM-skee) was born near Kielce in Russian Poland, November 1, 1864, of an impoverished noble family. Throughout his life he chafed under this czarist domination, and his short stories frequently take as their subject the resistance of Polish secret organizations. Żeromski was even more directly involved. In 1905, during the revolt against Russia, he was imprisoned; later he went into semi-voluntary exile in France and Austrian Galicia, where he remained until the end of World War I. eromski, Stefan[Zeromski, Stefan]}eromski, Stefan[Zeromski, Stefan]}eromski, Stefan[Zeromski, Stefan]}
Żeromski wrote plays and poetry, but his claim to greatness stems from his novels. Most famous of these is Ashes, which has been called the War and Peace of Poland. Although his great lyrical descriptive vein is not so evident in this work as it is in Wiatr od morza (the wind from the sea), Ashes possesses the scope and richness of characterization to make it an authentic masterpiece.
There is a dark pessimism to Żeromski’s writing that is characteristic of the Polish positivist school; perhaps it was this quality—as well as his extreme nationalism—that prevented him from winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. During his career he contributed many characters to the Polish national consciousness, and for that he was honored by his fellow Poles. He died in Warsaw on November 20, 1925.
Bibliography
Borowy, W. “Żeromski.” Slavonic Review 14 (1936).
Kuk, Zenon. “Depiction of Fictional Characters in War and Peace and Ashes.” The Polish Review 25, no. 2 (1980).
Kuk, Zenon. “The Napoleonic Era in Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Żeromski’s Ashes: Realities and Legends.” University of Hartford Studies in Literature 11 (1979).
Kuk, Zenon. “Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Żeromski’s Ashes as Historical Novels.” Folio: Essays on Foreign Languages and Literature 14 (December, 1982).
Lechon, Jan. “Stefan Żeromski.” Harvard Slavic Studies 2 (1954).