Polish Writers of Recent Times

The most talented representative of exoticism in Polish litera ture is Waclaw Sieroszewski (b. 1858) whose prolonged stay in political exile among the native tribes of north-eastern Siberia resulted in a series of fascinating short stories. An artist of rare subtlety and literary skill is Waclaw Berent (b. 1873). His novels Prochno (Rot) and Ozimina (The Winter Crop) contain a pene trating analysis of the late i9th century mood: his later work, Zywe Kamienie (Living Stones) is a rich and interesting picture of mediaeval life. Among disciples of Sienkiewicz, the most talented is JOzef Weyssenhoff whose hunting stories Sob& i Panna (The Sable and the Girl, Eng. tr. Mme. K. Zuk Skarszewska, 1928) describe Poland's Eastern borderland.

Literature in Poland After the World War.

With the reunion of Poland, her literature must lose influence as a national force. But even during the War, there came into being two notable groups of young poets, one in Poznan (the capital of the western provinces of Poland), another in Warsaw. The latter soon sur passed the former, and became the centre of a boldly aggressive and joyous view of life. Among these young poets the most prom ising are J. Tuwim, K. Wierzynski, J. Lechon, A. Slonimski, and J. Iwaszkiewicz.

Another group, headed by E. Zegadlowicz and calling itself Czartak, looks for inspiration to the quietness and retirement of country life, and to the simple piety and legendary traditions of the folk. In Miss I. K. Illakowicz the new Poland possesses a poetess of great lyrical charm. The _terrible experiences of the war, and of Bolshevism on the Eastern border, found expression in some notable works by such writers as Mme. Z. Kossak

Szczucka (Pozoga—The Blaze—Eng. tr. 1926). The wanderings of Polish exiles in war-time over the vast territories of European and Asiatic Russia have born literary fruit in the vigorous and racy stories of F. Goetel, as well as in the spirited yarns of wild adventures in Mongolia by F. Ossendowski. Otherwise, the novels written since the War, like the comedies and dramas—the works of W. Perzyfiski and others—deal with daily reality. The tradition of poetic drama, in the fashion of Slowacki and Wyspi anski, is kept up by the verse plays of K. H. Rostworowski, E. Zegadlowicz and L. H. Morstin. The reflective post war mood is shown most ably in the novelist Julius Kaden Bandrowski.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.-In

Polish: A. Bruckner, Dzzeje Literatury Polskiej w zarysie (2 vols., 3rd ed., 1925, two different abridged versions, 1924 and 1928) ; Dzieje literatury pieknej w Polsce, II. vols., a co-operative work published by the Polish Academy at Cracow as vols. XXI. and XXII. of its Polish Encyclopaedia [Encyklopedja Polska] (1st ed.

1918, 2nd ed. 1928) ; Gabrjel Korbut: Literatura Polska (3 vols., 1921-27, full bibliographies). In English: R. Dyboski, Periods of Pol ish Literary History and Modern Polish Literature (Oxford, 1923-24) Editions of Polish literary classics: Bibljoteka pisarzow polskich (published by the Polish Academy at Cracow), comprising chiefly works of earlier centuries; Bibljoteka Narodowa, edited by Prof. St. Kot (Cracow), a series of reprints of standard works of all periods, with scholarly introductions. (R. Dy.)