NIEMCEWICZ, JULIAN URSYN

born , Feb. 6, 1757/58, Skoki, Pol. died May 21, 1841, Paris Polish playwright, poet, novelist, and translator whose writings, inspired by patriotism and concern for social and governmental reform, reflect the turbulent political events of his day. He was the first Polish writer to know English literature thoroughly; he translated works of such authors as John Dryden, John Milton, Alexander Pope, and Samuel Johnson during a period of imprisonment in 179496 and introduced the historical novel to Poland, his Jan z Teczyna, 3 vol. (1825; Jan of Teczyn) being influenced by the Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott. Educated in the Warsaw cadet corps between 1770 and 1777, Niemcewicz spent most of the period 178388 in western Europe and in 1788 was elected deputy to the Sejm (parliament) of Poland. In 1790 he wrote Powrt Posla (The Deputy's Return), a political comedy very popular in its day. After participating in the unsuccessful insurrection of 1794, he was captured at Maciejowice and imprisoned in St. Petersburg for two years. Upon his release, he travelled to England and then to the United States, where he married and remained until 1807, when he returned to Poland. Until 1831 he devoted himself to literary work, publishing Spiewy historyczne (1816; Historical Songs), a series of simple song poems that became very popular, and Lebje i Siora (1821; Leybe and Syora), the first Polish novel to discuss the Jewish problem. In 1831 Niemcewicz journeyed to England to attempt to persuade the western European powers to intervene on behalf of the Polish insurrection against the Russians. He failed to do so, however, and spent the last years of his life in Paris, campaigning for Polish freedom. His memoirs appeared in 1848.