He spent the last months of his life in an apartment in the Royal Castle in Warsaw provided by the president. It was a truly unique way to honor this extraordinary writer, making Żeromski equal to the kings who once ruled the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Stefan Żeromski certainly deserved such honors.
by Tomasz Starzewski
Żeromski aroused strong emotions. When he died on November 20, 1925, Poland was in mourning. The writer’s funeral became a massive national demonstration. At the request of Warsaw residents, on the day of the funeral, November 23, working hours were shortened in the city to allow people to participate in his final journey. Eminent poets dedicated farewell songs to him, including Władysław Broniewski, Jan Lechoń, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Antoni Słonimski, Julian Tuwim, and Leopold Staff.
However, during his lifetime, he was not always positively perceived. The Roman Catholic Marian society Sodality of Our Lady considered his novel “Przedwiośnie” (The Spring to Come, 1924) one of the most harmful novels ever written in Polish literature. Zealous Catholics demanded that Żeromski be deprived of awards and expelled from his honorary apartment in the Royal Castle. It was simply impossible to ignore Żeromski.
Just before the outbreak of World War I, Żeromski was a widely read Polish contemporary writer. However, Polish literature at that time was full of outstanding figures, including Nobel Prize winners Henryk Sienkiewicz and Władysław Reymont. It is not surprising that in the early 1920s, Stefan Żeromski was often considered a potential candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, although he never received it. Literary historians focused on the strong anti-German message in his work after 1918, where he praised the Polish identity of the coastal region and supported the struggle for Polish identity in Pomerania. German journalists reacted strongly to his 1922 book “Wind from the Sea,” Depicting him as a Polish nationalist, almost a xenophobe. Today, we know that there were other reasons at play: Żeromski’s writing style appeared exaggerated, pessimistic, and at times overly didactic to Swedish academics.
We already know that Żeromski could evoke strong emotions and discourage people. However, these qualities alone would not suffice to consider him an interesting man, one of the most important Polish artists of the 20th century. One of the reasons was his passionate patriotism and interest in public affairs. When the reborn Poland was fighting for its borders after World War I, he very actively supported the plebiscite – the affiliation of the lands of Warmia and Mazury to Poland or Germany was to be decided by the votes of its inhabitants. Long before that, Żeromski wrote about Pomerania, Greater Poland, and Silesia, establishing himself as one of the most dedicated eulogists of the western lands of Poland. An alleged feverish discussion between Żeromski and the head of the reborn Poland, Józef Piłsudski, became legendary. Frustrated by Piłsudski’s emphasis on the importance of the eastern areas of the Second Polish Republic and irritated by his disregard for the role of Greater Poland, Pomerania, and Silesia, Żeromski allegedly said: “I do not give a damn about your eastern lands.” before storming out and slamming the door.
However, his political involvement would not have begun if it was not for his long writing career. He debuted in 1882, but even earlier, during his gymnasium years, he made his first literary attempts at poems, dramas, and translations from Russian literature. This writer’s outstanding teacher, Antoni Gustaw Bem, was pivotal in this intellectual path. Bem epitomized positivism, encouraging his students to spread their wings and teaching them to be patient and persevere in pursuing their goals. It is, therefore, not unsurprising that Żeromski portrayed this kind of character in his works. The values passed on by his beloved teacher remained a guiding force throughout his life.
At the same time, Żeromski maintained a close affinity with the romantic tradition, which was always a vibrant source of inspiration for him. In fact, Żeromski’s work distinguishes itself with a romantic spirit, embodying the ideal of the struggle for independence that permeates many of his works. The protagonists frequently fight alone against the evil and injustice of the world. However, the way he depicted working people and their arduous labor adopts a positivistic tone.
His work is full of dichotomies and contrasts. For example, he strongly advocated for national solidarity, viewing it as an effective weapon in the struggle to preserve the Polish identity, which was threatened with erasure by the Russian invaders. At the same time, he openly criticized the negligence and mistakes of the Polish elites, as he depicted in the story “Rozdziobią nas kruki” (“Crows Will Peck Us”), referencing the failure of the January Uprising, the anti-Russian uprising of 1863-1864. This narrative introduces two protagonists: the leader of a partisan unit, who loses his life in a skirmish with the Russians, and a Polish peasant who, upon discovering the body of an insurgent, robs it, treating it as a gift from heaven. The story juxtaposes the two dramas: the insurgent cognizant of defeat and the wholly unaware peasant, illustrating the vast divide between the layers of Polish society and the enormity of the wrongs that, in the writer’s opinion, could be healed via national solidarity.
One of Żeromski’s most famous literary works was the novel “The Labors of Sisyphus,” which was primarily based on the author’s personal experiences. The protagonist, Marcin Borowicz, a nobleman’s son, struggles with a Russian educational system that seeks not only to eradicate all individuality and freedom of thought but, above all, to enforce cultural Russification. In the aftermath of Poland’s forcible absorption into the Russian Empire, there was no freedom to study in Polish or learn about Polish subjects.
The Russian language is presented by teachers as an entry ticket to the intellectual salons of Europe, a means of contact with a higher civilization. Borowicz, however, rebels against this and, alongside his high school friends, organizes a self-education club focused on studying Polish romantic poetry. Thus, Polish patriotism blossoms among the young people. This leads to the development of patriotic attitudes, a love of tradition, and a readiness to make sacrifices to spread similar sentiments more widely.
The imperative to fight evil was perhaps even more pronounced in the novel “Homeless People,” which caused an absolute uproar when it was published and became one of the most influential manifestos of its time, influencing the perspectives of many, especially young people. Its protagonist, Dr. Tomasz Judym, comes from a poor family in Warsaw. After studying in Paris, Judym tries to find a place for himself, initially practicing in Warsaw and later in a resort catering to the wealthiest clientele. He fights for the rights of the poorest in various ways: offering them free medical treatment, running a hospital for them, advocating for respect to be shown to them, and addressing their basic needs. He persists despite conflicts with wealthy and influential people, sacrificing his personal happiness. Judym has become a literary archetype in Polish literature, exemplifying the most profound devotion to social and community ideals.
The great breakthrough moment in Żeromski’s work occurred in 1905, during the revolutionary period in the Polish lands forcibly occupied by the Russians. From that moment onward, even though his general perspective on both social and political reality was generally pessimistic, he could not ignore that free Poland brought with it a great surge of optimism. It brought hope for a fair country where everyone could find their place and the mistakes of the elites would no longer be repeated.
And yet, Żeromski’s last book, “The Spring to Come,” was not optimistic; it was instead an attempt at a reckoning. The protagonist, Cezary Baryka, escaped from the revolution-torn Baku and found himself in Poland. Having lost his parents, he arrived in a country where he knew only what his father had told him: a country of beauty, goodness, and justice, symbolized by “glass houses.” However, the myth does not align with reality. Baryka fights to defend Poland, encounters the world of noble manors, and, at the same time, delves into the world of politics—a domain replete with disputes, personal affairs, and dishonesty. His guide, the politician Szymon Gajowiec, symbolizes the pursuit of moderate reforms, while the socialists represent the readiness for sudden, revolutionary change. In the novel’s last scene, Baryka joins a socialist demonstration – however, this action on his part does not indicate Żeromski’s support for the revolution, but rather his apprehension about the future. He fully deserved the title of Poland’s true “conscience.”
Author: Tomasz Starzewski
Translation: Alicja Rose & Jessica Sirotin
