Aleksander Fredro (20 June 1793 â€" 15 July 1876) was a Polish poet,
playwright and author active during Polish Romanticism in the period
of partitions by neighboring empires. His works including plays
written in the octosyllabic verse (Zemsta) and in prose (Damy i
Huzary) as well as fables, belong to the canon of Polish literature.
Fredro was harshly criticized by some of his contemporaries for
light-hearted humor or even alleged immorality (Seweryn Goszczyński,
1835) which led to years of his literary silence. Many of Fredro's
dozens of plays were published and popularized only after his death.
His best-known works have been translated into English, French,
German, Russian, Czech, Romanian, Hungarian and Slovak.[1]Count
Aleksander Fredro, of the Bończa coat of arms, was born in the
village of Surochów near Jarosław, then a crown territory of
Austria. A landowner's son, he was educated at home. He entered the
Polish army at age 16 and saw action in the Napoleonic wars, including
the Moscow campaign. His memoir Topsy Turvy Talk, which echoes the
style of Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, recounts his military
experiences during Bonaparte's last campaign. While in France in 1814,
he took an active interest in French drama. After leaving the army he
settled on his estate and began as a writer.Fredro made his literary
debut in 1817, but he was not interested in the problems of
Romanticism. He wrote social comedies about the lifestyle of the
Polish nobility and is known for his skill in characterization and
plot, as well as the flexibility of his language. His work also
features humor typical of folk theatre from the Romantic period, and a
fast-paced farce with varying degrees of sophistication.Two of
Fredro's fables, The Monkey in the Bath (Małpa w kąpieli) and Paul
and Gawel (Paweł i Gaweł), belong to the most popular children's
stories in the country.[1] His best-known comedy, Zemsta (The
Revenge), was adapted for the screen in Poland by eminent film
director Andrzej Wajda in 2002.
playwright and author active during Polish Romanticism in the period
of partitions by neighboring empires. His works including plays
written in the octosyllabic verse (Zemsta) and in prose (Damy i
Huzary) as well as fables, belong to the canon of Polish literature.
Fredro was harshly criticized by some of his contemporaries for
light-hearted humor or even alleged immorality (Seweryn Goszczyński,
1835) which led to years of his literary silence. Many of Fredro's
dozens of plays were published and popularized only after his death.
His best-known works have been translated into English, French,
German, Russian, Czech, Romanian, Hungarian and Slovak.[1]Count
Aleksander Fredro, of the Bończa coat of arms, was born in the
village of Surochów near Jarosław, then a crown territory of
Austria. A landowner's son, he was educated at home. He entered the
Polish army at age 16 and saw action in the Napoleonic wars, including
the Moscow campaign. His memoir Topsy Turvy Talk, which echoes the
style of Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, recounts his military
experiences during Bonaparte's last campaign. While in France in 1814,
he took an active interest in French drama. After leaving the army he
settled on his estate and began as a writer.Fredro made his literary
debut in 1817, but he was not interested in the problems of
Romanticism. He wrote social comedies about the lifestyle of the
Polish nobility and is known for his skill in characterization and
plot, as well as the flexibility of his language. His work also
features humor typical of folk theatre from the Romantic period, and a
fast-paced farce with varying degrees of sophistication.Two of
Fredro's fables, The Monkey in the Bath (Małpa w kąpieli) and Paul
and Gawel (Paweł i Gaweł), belong to the most popular children's
stories in the country.[1] His best-known comedy, Zemsta (The
Revenge), was adapted for the screen in Poland by eminent film
director Andrzej Wajda in 2002.
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