Adam Naruszewicz
Adam Stanisław Naruszewicz Roman Catholicism |
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Adam Stanisław Naruszewicz (
Born in a
He has been described as one of the most significant writers of the
Life
The Naruszewicz family belonged to the middle class
Naruszewicz was introduced to the Polish king
From 1781 to 1786 he was a member of the
Works
Naruszewicz was a prolific writer (in both Polish and Latin), beginning his literary career in the late 1740s, with his first published work, a poem dedicated to Jan Mikołaj Chodkiewicz, debuting in 1756,[4]: 7–8 followed by his first research pamphlet a year later.[3]: 19 He wrote odes, idylls, satires, fairy tales, epigrams, and rococo poems; many of those were praising Poniatowski, although those panegyric works are rarely considered his best.[1][4]: 6, 12 He also wrote a tame drama, aimed at the youth, Gwido, hrabia Blezu (1770).[1] He also was active as a publisher and as a translator of Latin and French works into Polish—he translated works of authors such as Anacreon, Horace, Tacitus, as well as modern Latin-writing authors such as Pole Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski and Swiss Salomon Gessner.[4]: 6 He was the first person to translate the works of Tacitus to Polish.[3]: 21
In his later life, he moved away from writing fiction, focusing on historical research. His historical works include a monography on hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (published in 1781) and over 130 shorter biographies of other notable individuals.[2]: 557 Chodkiewicz's biography was his first published work extensively based on archival records.[3]: 21 His works also include political pamphlets in support of Poniatowski's faction, mostly focused on the subject of political history with implications for the modern era.[2]: 557 [3]: 21–23 His historical research culminated in the seven volumes of Historia narodu polskiego ("History of the Polish Nation"), mostly written in the years 1776–1779 and published in the subsequent decades. This ambitious project, inspired by the works of Voltaire, the first modern attempt to compile a comprehensive history of Poland, was unfinished, as Naruszewicz only completed the volumes covering Polish history up to the end of the Piast dynasty in the 14th century.[2]: 559 [3]: 23–29 [4] With his growing involvement in the political life, Naruszewicz's historical research mostly stopped by late 1780s;[3]: 30 however until early 1790s he was compiling historical documents, known as Teki Naruszewicza ("Naruszewicz's Folders"). Although unpublished during his life, they later became a valuable archive to future historians, containing well organized documents, including copies of now-lost texts.[2]: 559 [3]: 29 [4]: 7
Import
He is described by
According to Norman Davies and John D. Stanley, Naruszewicz has also been named among the first modern Polish historians.[3]: 18 [6] In particular, he was also the first modern historian who used the term Piast dynasty for describing the first dynasty of Poland, popularizing it in the subsequent historiography.[7][8] According to Platt, he was the most significant Polish historian until Joachim Lelewel. In Polish historiography, there is a distinction between the "Naruszewicz school", supporting monarchy and strong central power, and the more liberal-republican "Lelewel school".[2]: 560 [3]: 33 Just like his literary work, his historical research and writings have been influenced by the philosophy of Enlightenment, this is visible both in his methodology and philosophy (adhering to concepts such as didacticism, empiricism, humanitarianism, pragmatism, scepticism about tradition, secularism, and utilitarianism), his vernacular writing style, and his goals, such as his emphasis on studying domestic politics, endorsing a strong monarchy, and a pride in national accomplishments (including his support for the usage of Polish language in literature).[3]: 18, 21 John D. Stanley praised him for his "enormous respect for truth", visible in his methodology, full of critical analysis - including discussion of contradictory accounts, and extensive and detailed references to sources.[3]: 28, 32
Awards
- Medal Merentibus (1771)[2]: 556
- Order of Saint Stanislaus (11 V 1776)[2]: 557
- Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (1783)[2]: 559
See also
- List of Poles
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Skorodiuk, Józef W. "NARUSZEWICZ Adam Tadeusz Stanisław h. Wadwicz (1733-1796), biskup, poeta, ojciec nowożytnej historiografii polskiej, zasłużony obywatel Janowa Podlaskiego". Słownik biograficzny Południowego Podlasia i Wschodniego Mazowsza. Uniwersytet Przyrodniczo-Humanistyczny w Siedlcach. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny(in Polish). Vol. 22. Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. pp. 554–561.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8020-9036-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-89348-56-2.
- ISBN 978-1-134-81998-0.
- ISBN 978-0-19-925339-5.
- ^ Juliusz Bardach (1957). Historia państwa i prawa Polski do roku 1795: Bardach, J. Historia państwa i prawa Polski do połowy XV wieku. Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe. p. 68.
- ISBN 978-83-01-01662-3.
Further reading
- Zarzycki, Wacław (1999). Biskup Adam Naruszewicz luminarz polskiego Oświecenia (in Polish). Redakcja Wydawnictw Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego. ISBN 978-83-228-0786-6.
External links
- Bishop Adam Stanisław Naruszewicz, S.J. at catholic-hierarchy.org
- Adam Stanisław Naruszewicz: Poezje zebrane. Vol. 3. Ed. Barbara Wolska. Warszawa 2012.