Ignacy
Krasicki(1735-1801)was born in Dubiecko
into a family possessing the title of the Counts
of the Holy Roman Empire. He was educated at home and
prepared for the priesthood, which he entered with his two
brothers, studying for two years in Rome. Appointed Secretary
to the Primate of Poland on his return, he became friendly
with the future king of Poland, Stanislaw
August Poniatowski, who aided his career. From royal
chaplain Krasicki became in turn Bishop and Duke of
Warmia, prince, senator of the Republic and finally
Archbishop of Gniezno.
The positions brought his social standing and independence,
but he had to contend with hostility from more conservative
elements in the Church,
and the threatened partition of Poland.
Krasicki protested against the foreign intervention while
trying to protect Warmia from civil war. Even when Warmia
was annexed
by Prussia, and Krasicki
became a Prussian subject, he refused to pay homage to Frederick
II personally and maintained his friendship
with Stanislaw August. He did travel widely, however, to
Paris, Berlin, Potsdam and Sans-Souci on the instructions
of Frederick II, but his literary output was directed to
and glorified the reign of the Polish king. He died
at Potsdam, near Berlin, in 1801.
Krasicki's
poetry
Krasicki
was in his forties when he made his debut with Swieta milosci
kochanej ojczyzny [Holy Love of the Beloved Motherland],
a verse that became extremely popular and played the important
part of a national hymn. Krasicki formulated a universal idea
of patriotism, which was expressed in the high style and elevated
tone of EuropeanClassicism.
Many translations followed, and Krasicki went on to develop
new genres. His was the first modern Polish
novel, Mikolaja
Doswiadczynskiego przypadki [The
Adventures of Nicholas Wisdom], which synthesizes Enlightenment
themes: socio-satirical, adventures, the utopian and the didactic.
Mikolaj Doswiadczynski, the hero of the story, is a Polish
nobleman who becomes a better person through his adventures,
and the duties of a good host also appear in his next novel,
Pan Podstoli [Mr
Podstoli]. A conversation with Frederick II of Prussia
prompted the poem Monachomachia
[War of the Monks], a mock epic in octava rima, which caused
a scandal
when published, which was followed by an apology of sorts
in Antymonachomachia.
More important was the beautiful and sharply-written Bajki
przypowiesci[Fablesand
Parables 1779], which contained humorous if penetrating
comments on current affairs and human nature. His Satyry[Satires 1779] succeeded in being amusing and didactic,
helped by excellent dialogue and interior monologue. Bajki
nowe [New Fables] was published postumously in 1802. Krasicki
also cultivated belles-lettres, wrote works of homiletics,
theology and heraldry, published an encyclopedia in two volumes,
wrote about gardens, produced a newspaper and made translations
of Plutarch and the Songs of Ossian. Writing bfore Romanticism,
Krasicki was not alienated from society, but won his country's
highest awards: The Order of the White Eagle, The Order of
St Stanislaw and an honorary medal with the motto:"Dignum
laude virum musa vetat mori."
Poetry of
the Enlightenment
Krasicki's
most important works achieved European fame, being translated
into Latin, French, German, Italian, Russian, Czech, Croat,
Slovak, and Hungarian. Many writers of the Enlightenment
dedicated their works to him — Trembecki,
Zablocki
and Mier — a dedication that continued into the 20th
century with novelists and poets. StanislawTrembecki
(1739?-1812) was also a great master of witty verse, though
more the courtier and libertine. His patriotic odes to the
king were as accomplished as his obscene erotic poems, but
he is best remembered for his poetic fables and the descriptive
poem Sofiówka [Sophie's Garden]. Their work
has the balance, restraint and high polish of Classicism,
before other influences
came flooding into Poland. Conservative neoclassicism
appeared in the works of KajetanKozmian
(1771-1856), Ludwik
Osinski
(1775-1838), and AlojzyFelinski
(1771-1820), while the first strains of Romanticism in Bishop
Adam Naruszewicz
(1733-99) work were followed by Franciszek Dionizy Kniaznin
(1750-1807) and Franciszek Karpinski
(1741-1825) and finally by the great AdamMickiewicz
(1798-1855).
