Szlachcic Zawalnia czyli Białoruś w fantastycznych opowiadaniach

Abstract

This book is the first critical edition of the masterpiece of romantic Polish prose "Szlachcic Zawalnia czyli Białoruś w fantastycznych opowiadaniach" (Gentleman Zawalnia or Belarus in fantastic stories) (Vol. 1–4, St. Petersburg 1844–1846), written by Jan Barszczewski (1781–1851). The edition contains three scientific introductions: by Jarosław Ławski: Klasyk polskiego romantyzmu: Jan Barszczewski między kulturową tradycją a nowoczesnością, (The classic of Polish Romanticism: Jan Barszczewski between cultural tradition and modernity), Joanna Godlewska O kontemplowaniu natury i miasta nad brzegami Newy. “Sonety newskie” Jana Barszczewskiego (On contemplating the nature and the city on the banks of the Neva River. The “Neva Sonets” by Jan Barszczewski) and Beata Kuryłowicz O polszczyźnie utworów Jana Barszczewskiego (On the language of the works by Jan Barszczewski). The volume contains not only the main work by Barszczewski, but also the whole second (and last) volume, entitled Proza i wiersze. Część pierwsza (Prose and Poems. Part 1) (Kiev 1849): a selection of Polish poems and sonnets, three poetic works written in the dialect of the Belarussian people from the vicinity of Polock and scattered prose works. The approach to Barszczewski’s works presented in this edition emphasises, first of all, its constructive Polish nature. The author, who wrote almost exclusively in Polish, referred to the culture of aristocratic mansions in Northern Belarus. Although he drew from folk dialect and beliefs, he represented the type of a conservative, poor Polish nobleman who had a patriarchal view of the common folk. Barszczewski wrote two songs in the Belarussian dialect (Harelica and Dzieweńka, published in Latin alphabet in the Polish magazine “Rocznik Literacki”), and a satiric poem on the peasants who robbed noblemen’s mansions during the attack of Napoleon on Russia, entitled Bunt mužykou. All his works with artistic ambitions were of Polish nature. The writer attempted to create one more regional “school” of Polish Romanticism, modelled on the Lithuanian and Ukrainian schools: the Belarussian school. He was a Polish patriot, who was greatly involved in the life of Polish students in St. Petersburg, among whom he distributed forbidden books by Polish emigrants. His main figure of authority and a role model as a writer was Adam Mickiewicz, whom he met in St. Petersburg, when the latter was sent off to the far end of the Russian Empire. Born in Morohy in the Polock Land, near to the border between the former 1st Republic of Poland and Russia, Barszczewski was a representative of minor gentry who was however attached to the traditions of the great Polish­‑Lithuanian state. He was the son of a Unitarian priest, but he was educated at the College of Polock that had been famous since 1580, when the Polish king Stefan Batory established a Jesuit school. In the years 1812–1820 it functioned as the Polock Academy, a university institution. It did not function long, only until the Society of Jesus was dissolved in the territory of the Russian Empire. Barszczewski was shaped by two experiences: the school of life, which started at his family home and then turned into pilgrimages from one mansion to another teaching gentry children in schools in the northern regions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The second was the Jesuits’ College, which taught him deep, Catholic devotion and the literary traditions of the Age of Enlightenment. After years of wandering life as a Latin and Greek teacher, he settled in St. Petersburg. when he probably was about 30–40 years old. Barszczewski, born in 1781, was quickly noticed for his personality: a good, creative man, a patriot, with an imposing sense of attachment to his home land and devout religiousness. He was a leader of young Polish people, not only from the eastern regions of the former Republic of Poland, who studied in St. Petersburg. One of the students, Wincenty Dawid (1816–1897), when he was interrogated by the police authorities, made the following testimony, also about Barszczewski. He said: “As early as in the third year of my stay at the University, Jan Barszczewski, a private tutor, introduced me to the home of the Abramowicz family, where, as Barszczewski assured me, the father did not accept anybody except for the most dedicated patriots at their home (5/7.09.1843). The patriotism and literary talent of Barszczewski thrived under the strong influence of Adam Mickiewicz. It was the Bard to whom he owed the “romantic” turn in his writing. Barszczewski was in close relationships, first of all, with the so­‑called St. Petersburg Clique – a circle of conservative Polish thinkers and writers, who were often loyalist, but cared to preserve national literature. The leader of this group was Henryk Rzewuski, and the place where they met – Chudnov in Ukraine. The members of the clique were Rzewuski, Sztyrmer, Grabowski, Hołowiński, and Gustaw Olizar. in brief: the best pens, classics of Polish literature. In 1845, Barszczewski, who was already ill with consumption, moved to Chudnov, invited by Julia, the wife of Rzewuski. He stayed there until his death in 1851. Here, he shortly thrived as a writer again. The works of Barszczewski are permeated by the influences of classicism first (the influence of the Polock Jesuits), sentimentalism (a writer “of the heart”), Baroque, Gothic literature (terror, evil, and the cruelty of death). The imagination shaped by these influences was enlivened by the memories of family home and the fantastic stories that he heard as a teacher of children in the mansions of noble families. Add to this the knowledge of Latin and Ancient Greek literature, Mickiewicz, Słowacki, the conservatives from St. Petersburg and Polish writers from Kiev, Hoffmann, and the works of Malczewski, Goszczyński, and Zaleski. The factors that bring all these elements to make a consistent whole are sensitivity to evil, Christian trust, and Polish patriotism expressed in literary allusions. It was probably the tuberculosis, which gave the first symptoms in St. Petersburg, and the accompanying arthritis that brought Barszczewski to contemplate such baroque themes as dying and death (the sick, ageing poet, who was over 60, could not teach children of merchants and noblemen in St. Petersburg any longer). During the rule of Alexander Lukashenka, there were attempts to make Barszczewski a bard of Belarussian culture. This was a political action that treated the Polish poet and prose writer instrumentally. He owed a lot to other cultures: in St. Petersburg he met the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, and the sonnets reflect his fascination by the life of great Russian cities. Melodie Pielgrzyma (The Melodies of a Pilgrim) provides an image of Ukrainian lands reaching to Odessa filtered through Polish imagination. Belarussians may also doubtlessly look for their cultural inspirations in Barszczewski’s works, although his attachment to Belarussian culture resembled rather a love for the region, to his home land, which he saw as an inherent part of the former Republic of Poland, not an access to the national idea of Belarus, which was then non­‑existent in today’s meaning and still continues to form these days. The presented edition of the most important works of Barszczewski also contains: the Bibliography of Polish studies on Barszczewski and Polish culture in Polock and St. Petersburg, and the Bibliography of Belarussian editions and critical studies. The volume was prepared by scientists from the Faculty of Philology of the Białystok University: Prof. Jarosław Ławski, Krzysztof Rutkowski, PhD. (linguist, specialising in Russian studies), Joanna Godlewska, M. A. (literary theoretician), and Beata Kuryło­wicz, PhD., hab., professor at the University of Białystok (historian of Polish language). The edition is part of the project under the National Programme for the Develop­ment of Humanities, entitled “The continuation of critical editions of outstanding yet forgotten works of 19th century literature in the Academic Series of Publications ‘Black Romanticism in twelve volumes’ ” initiated in 2017 by Prof. Halina Krukow­ska (1937–2019). The project is realised in the years 2018–2022 by the Department of Philological Studies “East – West” (the current Project Manager is Piotr Stasie­wicz, PhD., hab.). The “Black Romanticism” editorial project is classified as a unique ­research project (so far 50 volumes of editions and monographies have been published in the series).