Maria Konopnicka
| Maria Konopnicka | |
|---|---|
Maria Konopnicka around 1885
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|
| Born |
May 23, 1842 Suwałki, Congress Poland |
| Died | October 8, 1910 (aged 68) Lviv, Austria-Hungary |
| Pen name | Jan Sawa, Marko, Jan Waręż |
| Occupation | Writer, poet |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Genre | Realism |
| Notable works | Rota |
Maria Konopnicka (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmarʲa kɔnɔpˈɲit͡ska]) née Wasiłowska (May 23, 1842 – October 8, 1910) was a Polish poet, novelist, writer for children and youth, a translator, journalist and critic, as well as an activist for women's rights and Polish independence. She used the pseudonym Jan Sawa and others. She was one of the most important Polish poets of the positivism in Poland period.
Konopnicka was born in Suwałki on May 23, 1842. Her father, Józef Wasiłowski, was a lawyer. She received home education, and spend a year (1855–1856) at a pension of Sisters of Eucharistic Adoration Monastery in Warsaw (Zespół klasztorny sakramentek w Warszawie).
She made her debut as a writer in 1870, with the poem W zimowy poranek (In the Winter's Morning). She began to gain popularity since the publication of the poem W górach (In the Mountains) in 1876, which was praised by the future Noble Prize laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz.
In 1862 she married Jarosław Konopnicki. They had six children. Her marriage was not happy, as her husband did not approve of her writing career. In a letter to a friend she described herself as "having no family", and being a "bird locked up in a cage". Eventually she left her husband and moved to Warsaw to pursue her writing career; it was an unofficial separation. She took her children with her. She moved to Warsaw in 1878, through she would also often travel around Europe; her first major trip was a visit to Italy in 1883. She traveled particularly in the years 1890–1903, which she spent living abroad.
Her life has been described as "turbulent", with events such as extramarital romances, deaths and mental illnesses in the family, and others. She was a personal friend of another Polish women poet of the positivism era, Eliza Orzeszkowa, and of the painter and activist Maria Dulębianka. It has been speculated that she was a lesbian (particularly with regards to her relation with Dulębianka), though this issue has not been properly researched, and this speculation is not usually mentioned in her biographies.
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