Prus, Bolesław

Prus, Bolesław

▪ Polish writer
pseudonym of  Aleksander Głowacki  
born August 20, 1847, Hrubieszów, Poland
died May 19, 1912, Warsaw

      Polish journalist, short-story writer, and novelist who was one of the leading figures of the Positivist period in Polish literature following the 1863 January Insurrection against Russian rule.

      Born to an impoverished gentry family, Prus was orphaned early in life and struggled unsuccessfully to complete his education. As a young man, he took an active part in the January Insurrection. Throughout much of his life he contributed articles called “chronicles” to daily papers and periodicals; these reveal the talent for detailed observation and lively presentation that was to make his novels and short stories so effective.

      A strong proponent of Poland's version of Positivist philosophy, Prus gradually changed from a journalistic career to fiction, and became known as a leading Polish prose writer of the second half of the 19th century. Among his best-known short stories are "Anielka" (1880; “Annie”), "Katarynka" (1881; “The Barrel Organ”), and "Kamizelka" (1882; “The Waistcoat”). "The Barrel Organ" and "The Waistcoat" are included in the English-language volume of Prus's stories entitled The Sins of Childhood and Other Stories (1996). As a novelist, he was considered a major Realist, with his Lalka (1890; “The Doll,” filmed 1969) giving a complex picture of Warsaw's social classes at the end of the century. In Faraon (1897; The Pharaoh and the Priest) he used the conflict between ruler and clergy in ancient Egypt as a metaphor for his depiction of the power struggle in modern society.

Jerzy R. Krzyzanowski

Additional Reading
Jerzy R. Krzyżanowski, “B. Prus' The Doll: An Ironic Novel,” in Richard Freeborn, R.R. Milner-Gulland, and Charles A. Ward (eds.), Russian and Slavic Literature (1976), pp. 266–282.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Prus, Boleslaw — pseud. di Glowacki, Aleksandr …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Boleslaw Prus — Bolesław Prus, 1887 Bolesław Prus, [bɔ lεswaf prus] (* 20. August 1847 in Hrubieszów bei Lublin als Aleksander Głowacki; † 19. Mai 1912 in Warschau) war ein polnischer Schriftsteller und Publizist (das Pseudonym Prus bedeutet zu Deutsch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bolesław Prus — Bolesław Prus, 1887 Bolesław Prus, [bɔ lεswaf prus] (* 20. August 1847 in Hrubieszów bei Lublin als Aleksander Głowacki; † 19. Mai 1912 in Warschau) war ein polnischer Schriftsteller und Publizist (das Pseudonym Prus bedeutet zu Deutsch: Pruzze …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Boleslaw Prus — Bolesław Prus Bolesław Prus, 1887 Bolesław Prus (1847 1912).Écrivain et journaliste polonais …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Prus — Prus, Boleslaw, Pseudonym, s. Glowacki …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Prus — Prus, Boleslaw, Pseudonym, s. Głowacki …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bolesław Prus — Infobox Writer name = Aleksander Głowacki imagesize = 150px caption = Photograph by Wilhelm Feldman (1887) pseudonym = Bolesław Prus birthdate = birth date|mf=yes|1847|08|20 birthplace = Hrubieszów, Poland deathdate = death date and… …   Wikipedia

  • Bolesław Prus — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Prus. Bolesław Prus Bolesław Prus, 1887 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Prus coat of arms — Prus I Battle cry: Turzyna, Wiskała Details Alternative names Połtora Krzyża, Turzyna, Wiskawa, Wiszczała …   Wikipedia

  • Boleslaw — oder Bolesław ist ein männlicher Vorname (west ) slawischer Herkunft. Bedeutung Boleslaw bedeutet übersetzt groß , mehr oder Ruhm . Herrscher Für eine Übersicht über die Herrscher mit dem Namen Boleslaw siehe: Liste der Herrscher namens Boleslaw… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”