Conrad’s Marseilles

This article discusses the Marseilles period of Conrad’s life, which is still shrouded in mystery. By consulting the Marseilles municipal archives and examining information culled from the local press for the years 1874-1878, the author attempts to determine what events in the life of Marseilles during that particular period may have found an echo in Conrad’s works, and in what way these events could have influenced the personality of the young writer. The author sketches a vivid picture of everyday life in the Marseilles of the 1870s and recalls the principal events in the city’s artistic life, suggesting that Conrad’s first real experience of the opera and the theatre (and no doubt also of the fine arts) was gained in Marseilles. An analysis of all the available documents makes it possible to formulate the following conclusions: 1) The duel between M. George and Blunt, as described in The Arrow of Gold, had its origins in real life: this was the duel between two journalists - C. Hugues and J. Daime - which was then the talk of the town. 2) In drawing the character of Rita de Lastaola in The Arrow of Gold, Conrad most probably made use of several complementary models from real life: apart from Paula de Samoggy (mentioned by J. Allen), the model for Rita may well have been Mme Didier - the mistress of the wellknown Marseilles painter G. Ricard, who himself was quite probably the real-life model for the character of Henry Allègre. 3) During the time when Conrad was in Marseilles the political situation in Spain had completely stabilized and it is hardly likely that Conrad himself could have taken part in any gun-running for the Spanish Carlists. Monsieur George’s escapade may therefore be treated purely and simply as a reminiscence of the stories told by Provençal sailors who had earlier taken part in the smuggling expeditions of 1874-1875. The final section of the article draws attention to possible Marseilles sources for Falk, Heart of Darkness and An Outpost of Progress. Virtually the entire storyline of Falk may be found in the Marseilles press, while the two African stories can be seen as a hypothetical refutation of the tales told by the “colonizer of the Congo” Henry Stanley, who in January 1878 was given a hero’s welcome in Marseilles

„Perło konchy tych krain, witam was, Bielany!” (o odkrywaniu urody Bielan i tajemnic kamedułów)

The Order of Camaldolese Fathers became a permanent part of the history of Catholic Church in Poland as well as the history of the Polish nation. Prayers, fasting and the vow of silence of St Romuald's disciples for four centuries have been an exceptionally compelling example of serving God, which is confirmed by the presence of the Camaldolese in Krakow's Bielany. The history of an over 400-year-old monastery in Bielany is full of beautiful, horrific and tragic events alike; this article recounts them.L’articolo è un tentativo di una ricostruzione di un “processo della scoperta” della bellezza di Bielany da parte degli scrittori e dei poeti della prima metà dell’Ottocento. L’autore, dopo aver brevemente descritto la storia del monastero, si concentrò sulle testimonianze poetiche che lo riguardano. Il poeta più dedicato alla bellezza di questo luogo di culto fu Franciszek Wężyk, un poeta di Cracovia, noto a tutti gli abitanti grazie al suo poema “Okolice Krakowa” (“Dintorni di Cracovia”). L’esempio di Wężyk provocò la crescita di un gruppo notevole di altri autori: Paweł Czajkowski, Karol Bołoz-Antoniewicz, Józef Łapsiński, e il più grande di loro, Wincenty Pol. L’opera di questi poeti fu appoggiata anche dai grandi scrittori: Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Klementyna in Tański Hoffann e Józef Mączyński. Grazie a loro gli eremiti trovarono un posto stabile sulle pagine della letteratura polacca.Zakon ojców kamedułów trwale wpisał się w  dzieje Kościoła katolickiego w Polsce, a także narodowej historii. Modlitwy, posty i milczenie pustelników – uczniów św. Romualda od czterech wieków stanowią wyjątkowo piękny przykład służby Bożej w Polsce, o czym świadczy obecność kamedułów na krakowskich Bielanach.  Historia ponad 400 letniego klasztoru na Bielanach obfituje zarówno w wydarzenia piękne, jak i pełne grozy i tragedii opisane w niniejszym artykule

Felix saeculum Cracoviae - krakowscy święci XV wieku. Materiały sesji naukowej - Kraków, 24 kwietnia 1997, pod red. K. Panusia i K. R. Prokopa, Kraków 1998, ss. 186

Recension: Felix saeculum Cracoviae - krakowscy święci XV wieku. Materiały sesji naukowej - Kraków, 24 kwietnia 1997,  pod red. K. Panusia i K. R. Prokopa, Kraków 1998, ss. 186.Recenzja: Felix saeculum Cracoviae - krakowscy święci XV wieku. Materiały sesji naukowej - Kraków, 24 kwietnia 1997,  pod red. K. Panusia i K. R. Prokopa, Kraków 1998, ss. 186

Związek Literacki w Krakowie (1891–1899)

The Literary Union (1891-1899)The author of the article has undertaken an attempt to present the history of one of the cultural associations which existed in Krakow at the turn of the 19th century. The Literary Union was founded by a group of writers and literary critics who were dissatisfied with the activity of the Artistic-Literary Circle which had operated in Krakow since 1881. The Union which had been formally registered in the Regional Lieutenancy towards the end of 1891, began its activity in February 1892. Among its ranks it grouped between 50 and 90 writers, literary and theatre critics, including professors of the Jagiellonian University. The successive presidents of the Union included: Józef Tretiak, Marian Zdziechowski and Kazimierz Bartoszewicz. The Union had its own premises in which weekly lectures devoted above all to important literary phenomena were held. The members appreciated partucularly the possibility of taking advantage of the well-stocked Union reading-room, which had subscribed to a few dozen Polish and foreign literary magazines. In the years 1896-1898, the Union published a biweekly entitled “Przegląd Literacki” /Literary Review/ (edited by Kazimierz Bartoszewicz), which however did not publish any program manifestos, nor literary polemics;  the biweekly published exclusively the reviews of books which appeared on the Polish book market. The Union had lost its entire raison d’etre the moment Stanisław Przybyszewski arrived in Krakow and became the editor of the “Życie” /Life/ magazine. It was precisely this magazine that became the main platform for the writers and poets realizing their modernist artistic program

The Literary Union (1891-1899 )

The author of the article has undertaken an a empt to present the history of one of the cultural associations which existed in Krakow at the turn of the 19th century. The Literary Union was founded by a group of writers and literary critics who were dissatisfied with the activity of the Artistic-Literary Circle which had operated in Krakow since 1881. The Union which had been formally registered in the Regional Lieutenancy towards the end of 1891, began its activity in February 1892. Among its ranks it grouped between 50 and 90 writers, literary and theatre critics, including professors of the Jagiellonian University. The successive presidents of the Union included: Józef Tretiak, Marian Zdziechowski and Kazimierz Bartoszewicz. The Union had its own premises in which weekly lectures devoted above all to important literary phenomena were held. The members appreciated partucularly the possibility of taking advantage of the well-stocked Union reading-room, which had subscribed to a few dozen Polish and foreign literary magazines. In the years 1896-1898, the Union published a biweekly en tled “Przegląd Literacki” /Literary Review/ (edited by Kazimierz Bartoszewicz), which however did not publish any program manifestos, nor literary polemics; the biweekly published exclusively the reviews of books which appeared on the Polish book market. The Union had lost its en re raison d’etre the moment Stanisław Przybyszewski arrived in Krakow and became the editor of the “Życie” /Life/ magazine. It was precisely this magazine that became the main platform for the writers and poets realizing their modernist artistic program

Conrad´s Marseilles

This article discusses the Marseilles period of Conrad’s life, which is still shrouded in mystery. By consulting the Marseilles municipal archives and examining information culled from the local press for the years 1874–1878, the author attempts to determine what events in the life of Marseilles during that particular period may have found an echo in Conrad’s works, and in what way these events could have influenced the personality of the young writer. The author sketches a vivid picture of everyday life in the Marseilles of the 1870s and recalls the principal events in the city’s artistic life, suggesting that Conrad’s first real experience of the opera and the theatre (and no doubt also of the fine arts) was gained in Marseilles. An analysis of all the available documents makes it possible to formulate the following conclusions: 1) The duel between M. George and Blunt, as described in The Arrow of Gold, had its origins in real life: this was the duel between two journalists — C. Hugues and J. Daime — which was then the talk of the town. 2) In drawing the character of Rita de Lastaola in The Arrow of Gold, Conrad most probably made use of several complementary models from real life: apart from Paula de Samoggy (mentioned by J. Allen), the model for Rita may well have been Mme Didier — the mistress of the wellknown Marseilles painter G. Ricard, who himself was quite probably the real-life model for the character of Henry Allègre. 3) During the time when Conrad was in Marseilles the political situation in Spain had completely stabilized and it is hardly likely that Conrad himself could have taken part in any gun-running for the Spanish Carlists. Monsieur George’s escapade may therefore be treated purely and simply as a reminiscence of the stories told by Provençal sailors who had earlier taken part in the smuggling expeditions of 1874–1875. The final section of the article draws attention to possible Marseilles sources for Falk, Heart of Darkness and An Outpost of Progress. Virtually the entire storyline of Falk may be found in the Marseilles press, while the two African stories can be seen as a hypothetical refutation of the tales told by the “colonizer of the Congo” Henry Stanley, who in January 1878 was given a hero’s welcome in Marseilles

Koło Artystyczno-Literackie w Krakowie (1881 – 1907)

The Cracow Society of Art and LiteratureThe article presents the history of an estimable organization of writers and artists from Cracow. The Society of Art and Literature was brought into existence through the initiative of Juliusz Kossak, an outstanding painter, who in 1869 came to Cracow with his family. Here, among the Cracovian writers, he found a reliable collaborator, Michał Bałucki. The two of them directed the Society since its beginnings in 1881 (Kossak as President and Bałucki as Vice-President). Kossak directed the Society until his death in 1897; after that, Bałucki took over and remained President until his death in 1901. He was succeeded by Julian Fałat, followed by Marian Zdziechowski, August Sokołowski and Kazimierz Morawski. The Society had its premises in the Main Market Square, where most of its events, like readings and presentations, anniversary celebrations and social receptions, took place. Members of the Society received there eminent guests from both Poland (e.g. Helena Modrzejewska, Henryk Siemiradzki) and abroad (e.g. Marie Pospíšilová, an excellent actress from Prague). In 1883 the Society of Art and Literature organized the First Convention of Polish Artists and Writers. In 1891, together with numerous other Polish artists, writers and intellectuals, members of the Society went to Prague for the National Exhibition. The group played an important role in Cracow and Galicia, although it did not mark out new trends in art or literature; this was done by other Cracovian societies functioning at the turn of the 20th century