Stanisław Przybyszewski | |
|---|---|
 Stanisław Przybyszewski | |
| Born | Stanisław Feliks Przybyszewski (1868-05-07)7 May 1868 |
| Died | 23 November 1927(1927-11-23) (aged 59) Jaronty, Poland |
| Resting place | Góra, Inowrocław County |
| Occupation | Poet, writer, novelist, playwright |
| Language | Polish, German |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Period | Young Poland |
| Spouse | Dagny Juel Przybyszewska, Jadwiga Kasprowicz |
| Children | Zenon Przybyszewski Westrup |
Stanisław Przybyszewski (Polish pronunciation:[staˈɲiswafpʂɨbɨˈʂɛfskʲi]; 7 May 1868 – 23 November 1927) was a Polish novelist, dramatist, and poet of thedecadentnaturalistic school. Hisdrama is associated with theSymbolist movement. He wrote both inPolish and in German.[1]
Stanisław Feliks Przybyszewski was born inŁojewo nearKruszwica during the partitions of Poland. The son of a local teacher, Józef Przybyszewski, Stanisław attended a German gymnasium inToruń,[1] graduating in 1889. He left forBerlin, where he first studied architecture and then medicine. It was there that he became fascinated by the philosophy ofNietzsche, began referring to himself as aSatanist, and immersed himself into thebohemian life of the city.
In Berlin, he lived with—but did not marry—Martha Foerder. They had had three children together: two before he left her to marryDagny Juel on 18 August 1893 and one during his marriage to Dagny. From 1893 to 1898, he lived with Juel (formerly a model forEdvard Munch), sometimes in Berlin and at others in Juel's hometown ofKongsvinger, in Norway. They frequented with other artistsZum schwarzen Ferkel in Berlin.
In 1896, he was arrested in Berlin on suspicion of the murder of his common-law wife Martha but released after it was determined that she had died ofcarbon monoxide poisoning. After Martha's death, the children were sent to different foster homes. In the autumn of 1898, he and Juel moved toKraków, where he set himself up as the leader of a group of revolutionary young artists and as editor of their mouthpieceŻycie (Life). He remained a fervent apostle ofindustrialism and self-expression.
He traveled toLviv and visited the Polish poet and playwrightJan Kasprowicz. Przybyszewski started an affair with Kasprowicz's second wife, Jadwiga Gąsowska. Kasprowicz married Jadwiga in 1893; his first marriage to Teodozja Szymańska in 1886 ended in divorce after a few months.
In 1899, Przybyszewski abandoned Juel and set up a house with Jadwiga inWarsaw. Around this time, he was also involved withAniela Pająkówna, one of whose two daughters was Przybyszewski's. Dagny returned toParis and was murdered by a young friend of hers, Władysław Emeryk, inTbilisi in 1901.
In 1905, Przybyszewski and Jadwiga moved toToruń, where he attempted rehabilitation from hisalcoholism. While there, Jadwiga's divorce was finalized, and they married on 11 April 1905. Przybyszewski's struggle with alcoholism continued till his death.
In 1906, the couple moved toMunich, thanks to the money obtained through the sale of the manuscript of the playŚluby (The Vows). During the war, they lived for a short time inBohemia (Czech Lands) and moved to newly re-established Poland in 1919.
InPoznań, he applied for the position of director of a literary theatre, but his work with German political brochures during the war prevented the appointment. He got a job working as a German translator for the post office. In 1920, he found work in theFree City of Danzig (Gdańsk) with the railways. He lived in Gdańsk until 1924 and managed a Polish bookshop there. Afterward, he tried to settle inToruń,Zakopane, andBydgoszcz, all without success. At last, he found work inWarsaw, in the offices of the president. He lived in rooms in the oldRoyal Castle. In 1927, he returned to theKujawy region and died inJaronty in November of that year, aged 59.
He wrote a number of successful novels, of whichHomo Sapiens, the most popular, has been translated into English.
Przybyszewski is considered to be the precursor of contemporary 20th-century intellectual Satanism.August Strindberg called him "a brilliant Pole" ("der geniale Pole") and said that he "influenced German literature in the last decade of the nineteenth century like few others".
