Władysława Syrokomli dzieła zebrane. Postawy wydawców

Abstract

Władysław Syrokomla issued the majority of his works right after they were finished, mostly cooperating with a few renowned publishers. Problems with the publication of his rich literary legacy appeared shortly after his death. Over a decade there appeared two important issues that embraced a significant part of the writer’s literary outcome: Pisma epiczne i dramatyczne (published in Poznań in 1868) and Poezje (Warszawa 1872). The very titles may suggest that the editors had selected from a generic variety of Syrokomla’s works, each of them using different criteria of selection and arrangement of his pieces. Poezje passed the test of time, because the editor included rich comments in footnoses providing extra information about important cultural and social phenomena and the perception of the poet. The first volumes of the edition sparked broad interest with Syrokomla’s works: Korotyński received many letters about the poems and their background. The context of the publications and the attitudes of the editors seem crucial not only for the considerations on further reception of the poet, but also for the history of the Polish academic publishing.