Queerowa biografia autorki Lata leśnych ludzi, czyli lata (leśnych) kobiet

Abstract

This article reviews Emilia Padoł’s biography of Maria Rodziewiczówna (Rodziewiczówna. Gorąca dusza, Krakow 2023) in the broader context of other Polish life writings that can be described as both biographies of creative women and lesbian biographies, as well as biographies of couples (in particular Karolina Dzimira-Zarzycka’s biography of Maria Dulębianka, published in 2022). The author discusses Padoł’s treatment of gender and sexual identity in her book, contrasting it with Dzimira-Zarzycka’s approach, which she finds more sensitive to the contexts of the era and not projecting contemporary LGBTQ+ categories onto Dulębianka to such an extent. The article presents the so-called “Boston marriage” as an important theme of both biographies (even if Padoł does not refer to this concept). It also presents the effects of the feminist revision to which Padoł subjects Rodziewiczówna’s work.