Naukowe i literackie światy Zygmunta Glogera. Studia

Abstract

Zygmunt Gloger (1845–1910) was one of the main creators of the 19th century Polish culture. He was a publicist, historian, archaeologist, ethnographer, folklorist, as well as a poet, literature theoretician, and linguist. In a manner characteristic for the 19th century, his work combined the passion for science with the skills of a stylist of excellent wordsmithery that he also used for polemic purposes. One of his main achievements in the Polish and Central European culture is the Encyklopedia staropolska ilustrowana (the Old-Poland Illustrated Encyclopaedia) (vol. 1-4, 1900-1903) that contributed a vast amount of knowledge to the history of the Republic of Poland, the Great Duchy of Lithuania, and the areas that currently form the territories of Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, and the Baltic States. Gloger was the author of over one thousand academic and popular science articles, several volumes of ethnographic and historic publications, as well as a book that is considered to be a classic example of travel writing in Polish literature: Dolinami rzek. Opisy podróży wzdłuż Niemna, Wisły, Bugu i Biebrzy (River Valleys. Journeys along the Neman, Vistula, Bug, and Biebrza Rivers) (1903). In the years 2018 – 2022 Książnica Podlaska of Łukasz Górnicki in Białystok, in co-operation with the Department of Philological Studies “East-West” of the Białystok University realised a research project financed from the funds of the National Programme for the Development of Humanities of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Poland, entitled: The continuation of an academic, critical edition of the “Scattered Works” by Zygmunt Gloger: an edition of manuscripts, ethnographic works, drawings, and letters in seven volumes. As part of this project, on the 20-21 of November 2019, the Książnica Podlaska of Łukasz Górnicki organised the 2nd International Academic Conference “Naukowe i literackie światy Zygmunta Glogera. Piśmiennictwo – historia – etnografia – ethos ziemiański – język” (The scientific and Literary Worlds of Zygmunt Gloger. Writing – History – Ethnography – Ethos of the Gentry – Language”. The present publication contains 24 academic papers that were presented as speeches during the conference. The project of the NPDH and the conference are a continuation of the scientific project that was realised by Książnica Podlaska of Łukasz Górnicki and the Department of Philological Studies “East – West” of the Białystok University in the years 2014 – 2018, which was financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. This project resulted in the publication of a three-volume critical edition of the Scattered Works by Zygmunt Gloger (edited by Jan Leończuk, Jarosław Ławski, Vol.1–3, Białystok 2015–2017) that presents the whole publicist heritage of the author of the Old Poland Illustrated Encyclopaedia. On the other hand, the 1st academic conference on Zygmunt Gloger organised in Białystok on the 23-24 of October 2015, resulted in the publication of the monograph by several authors, entitled Zygmunt Gloger. Pisarz, myśliciel, uczony. Studia w 170. rocznicę urodzin, (Zygmunt Gloger. A Writer, Philosopher, and Scientist. Studies on the 170th Birth Anniversary), edited by: Jan Leończuk, Jarosław Ławski, Łukasz Zabielski, Białystok 2016. This volume presents the results of research that show: the position of Gloger in Polish culture, the reception of his works in Belarussian, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian literature, the complex issue of his debut, his letters, opinions about the idea of independence, language, and folk songs, his attitude towards science (numismatics, ethnomusicology, history, and anthropology), and, finally, his social contribution and relationships with other important persons of his times. The presented studies are another attempt at redefining the perception of Gloger not only as an ethnographer, historian and populariser of 19th-century science, but also as a professional writer, publicist, and, secondly, a reliable scientist who knew and used the methodological standards of his era well. The volume was edited by Prof. Jarosław Ławski – Head of the Department of Philological Studies “East – West” of the Białystok University; Dr. Łukasz Zabielski – Head of the department of Philological and Bibliographical Studies of Książnica Podlaska of Łukasz Górnicki, and Patryk Suchodolski, M.A., an employee of the Department.