| Contrarily to Mickiewicz,
his main rival and by 9 years his senior, Slowacki began to
publish in exile with three volumes of poetry (1832, 1833).
Longer poems, such as In Switzerland, A Voyage to the
Holy Land, (both 1836) and especially the digressive Beniowski
(1841) established Slowacki as a major force in Polish
literature. Even more important in this respect were Slowacki's
poetic and visionary dramas: Kordian (1834), a polemic
with Mickiewicz's Forefather's Eve; Balladyna (1834), a
veritable cocktail of Shakespearean themes; Mazeppa (1839), a tragedy on 17th-century themes; Lilla
Weneda (1839), set in the legendary prehistory of Poland; Fantazy
(1841), a satirical comedy. Slowacki's last years of life were
devoted to a huge historical-mystical poem, King-Spirit, of which only the first part was published
in 1847. |
Juliusz
Slowacki
1809 - 1849
|
