Bolesław Prus

Dariusz Tolczyk (University of Virginia)

Ed. by Ewa M. Thompson, Rice University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.8.3: Polish Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Ewa M. Thompson (Rice University)

Dates

Born 20 Aug 1847
Died 19 May 1912
Activity 1872-1912

Places

Born in Poland
Active in Poland

Activities

Primary

Journalist
Novelist
Story-writer

Resources

Prus' Works

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Bolesław Prus (1845–1912) is considered by many to be the greatest Polish realist writer of the nineteenth century, and by some the best Polish novelist of all time. He was born Aleksander Głowacki in (or near) the town of Hrubieszów, southeast of Warsaw. His father was an estate manager. Despite modest means, the family was proud of its noble ancestry. Prus's childhood was not a happy one: his mother died when he was three years old and his father lived only six years longer. He was raised in a series of provincial towns; first, by his maternal grandmother, then by an aunt and, when he reached the age of thirteen, by his older brother Leon who took him under his care and enrolled him in school in Kielce. Leon was involved in clandestine political activities aimed at reclaiming…

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2123 words

Citation: Tolczyk, Dariusz. "Bolesław Prus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 August 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12581, accessed 25 November 2024.]