Adam Mickiewicz’s Followers (184)

Adam Mickiewicz

Born

in Zaosie, Poland

December 24, 1798

Died

November 26, 1855

Website

http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/mickie...

Genre

Classics, Poetry, History

Influences

Walter Scott ...more

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To a Pole, the name Adam Mickiewicz is emblematic of Polishness and greatness. What Homer is to the Greeks, or Shakespeare to the English, Mickiewicz is to the Poles. He is a cultural icon, a name inextricably connected with Polish literature and history, and one mentioned with pride. Mickiewicz stands out in the consciousness of Poles both as a man of letters and a political leader.

Despite his unquestionable status and fame, however, much of Mickiewicz's biography is shrouded in mystery. Even the generally accepted date of his birth, December 24. 1798, is uncertain, since it hasn't been determined whether it refers to the Gregorian or the Julian calendar. Nor has it been established conclusively whether Mickiewicz was born in Nowogrodek or To a Pole, the name Adam Mickiewicz is emblematic of Polishness and greatness. What Homer is to the Greeks, or Shakespeare to the English, Mickiewicz is to the Poles. He is a cultural icon, a name inextricably connected with Polish literature and history, and one mentioned with pride. Mickiewicz stands out in the consciousness of Poles both as a man of letters and a political leader.

Despite his unquestionable status and fame, however, much of Mickiewicz's biography is shrouded in mystery. Even the generally accepted date of his birth, December 24. 1798, is uncertain, since it hasn't been determined whether it refers to the Gregorian or the Julian calendar. Nor has it been established conclusively whether Mickiewicz was born in Nowogrodek or at Zaosie, a mile or so apart. Many biographical facts, particularly those pertaining to his relationships with women, were deliberately obscured to preserve a flawless public image of the poet. Likewise, his interest in mysticism and involvement in mystical cults tended to be minimized, especially during the years of Communist rule in Poland when the official line was to shun spirituality of any kind, not to expose the poet to ridicule.

Mickiewicz's son. Władysław, can be held partially responsible for this state of affairs, but he is not the only one. Having gained control of his father's papers after the poet's death, Władysław Mickiewicz destroyed various documents which might have potentially tarnished his father's public image. Likewise, many critics and scholars tended to overlook significant facts in the poet's biography, as well as significant themes and issues in his writing, to sustain the idealized view of Mickiewicz as a Polish national bard. This tendency to carefully "whitewash" Mickiewicz is hardly surprising. Born three years after the final partition of Poland, Mickiewicz became a spiritual leader of the Polish nation. An ardent patriot, he animated the Polish national spirit through his poetic, dramatic and political writings, providing hope and spiritual sustenance to Poles under the Russian, Prussian and Austrian rule, as well as to the many exiles, particularly the emigré circles in Paris, where he settled in 1832. Given the history of Poland and the long streak of political oppression and subjugation, the need for heroes and the idealization of Mickiewicz as a leader are perfectly understandable.

Yet already in the 1930s, there were critical voices against the bowdlerization of Mickiewicz's work (since some editions of his works eliminated the more racy passages) and objections were raised against the cover-up in renditions of his biography. The prominent critic, Tadeusz Boy-Źieleński, for instance, in his work "Brązownicy" objected to the distortions of facts and the "sins of omission" in critical writings on Mickiewicz. In recent years, a much more vast and thorough re-examination of Mickiewicz' life and oeuvre has occurred. This is partially due to the overall re-examination of Polish history and Polish literary tradition after the collapse of Communism and, generally. a much greater openness in discussions of various issues previously relegated to the sphere of national taboos. Thus, much has been written lately about the white spots in Mickiewicz's biography. particularly about his mystical leanings and the Jewish origin of his mother. The evidence of Mickiewicz's fascination with mysticism is overwhelming, and there is some basis for the allegation of his mother's Jewishness.

(quoted from Regina Grol's piece posted on InfoPolan, University of Buffalo's website; for continuation see link below) ...more

Combine Editions
Adam Mickiewicz’s books

Average rating: 3.08 · 50,132 ratings · 4,097 reviews · 324 distinct works • Similar authors

	Pan Tadeusz 3.04 avg rating — 15,343 ratings — published 1834 — 279 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dziady 3.30 avg rating — 9,044 ratings — published 1821 — 58 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Konrad Wallenrod 2.63 avg rating — 6,056 ratings — published 1828 — 102 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dziady część II 3.16 avg rating — 4,637 ratings — published 1822 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dziady część III 2.61 avg rating — 3,745 ratings — published 1832 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ballady i romanse 3.69 avg rating — 2,097 ratings — published 1822 — 39 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sonety krymskie 3.44 avg rating — 1,679 ratings — published 1826 — 65 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dziady, część IV 2.78 avg rating — 1,683 ratings — published 1823 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Świtezianka 3.65 avg rating — 972 ratings — published 1822	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reduta Ordona 3.11 avg rating — 788 ratings — published 1832 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Adam Mickiewicz…

Series by Adam Mickiewicz

Dziady (4 books)
by

Adam Mickiewicz

3.08 avg rating — 19,344 ratings

Dzieła poetyckie (1 book)
by

Adam Mickiewicz

3.81 avg rating — 21 ratings

Quotes by Adam Mickiewicz (?)

“I and motherland are one. My name is Million, because for millions do I love and suffer agonies.”
― Adam Mickiewicz, Forefathers' Eve

tags: messianism, patriotism, poland, polish-literature, polska

18 likes

“Ty mnie zabiłeś! - ty mnie nauczyłeś czytać!
W pięknych księgach i pięknym przyrodzeniu czytać!
Ty dla mnie ziemię piekłem zrobiłeś
(z żalem i uśmiechem)
i rajem!
(mocniej i ze wzgardą)
A to jest tylko ziemia!”
― Adam Mickiewicz, Dziady

17 likes

“Kto miłości nie zna, ten żyje szczęśliwy,
I noc ma spokojną, i dzień nietęskliwy.”
― Adam Mickiewicz, Dziady

15 likes

See all Adam Mickiewicz's quotes »

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Adam Mickiewicz’s Followers (184)

Adam Mickiewicz

Combine EditionsAdam Mickiewicz’s books

Series by Adam Mickiewicz

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Adam Mickiewicz’s books