Dygasiński, Adolf

▪ Polish writer

born March 7, 1839, Niegosławice, Poland

died June 3, 1902, Grodzisk Mazowiecki

      Polish short-story author and poet who is considered one of the outstanding Polish Naturalist (naturalism) writers.

      Dygasiński was a teacher by profession and a worshiper of science. He published about 50 volumes of short stories of uneven literary quality, the best pieces of which deal with the lives of domestic and wild animals. His masterpiece is Gody życia (1902; “Feast of Life”), an allegorical prose poem about the struggle between a small bird and a powerful eagle owl. Dygasiński consistently introduced folk themes into national literature in his many short stories dealing with village life and he often used local dialects. His best achievements, though, are his nature and animal stories, full of understanding and compassion for the victims of an urban, industrial society that creates formidable environmental problems.

Jerzy R. Krzyzanowski

 

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