Narcyza Żmichowska (

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

, 4 March 1819 – 24 December 1876, Warsaw), also known under her popular

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Gabryella, was a Polish

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

. She is considered a precursor of

feminism in Poland According to one scholarly postulation, the history of feminism in Poland can be divided into seven periods, beginning with the 19th century first-wave feminism. The first four early periods coincided with the foreign partitions of Poland, which r ...

Life

Żmichowska became

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, ...

for the noble House of Zamoyski in 1838. She went with her employer to Paris, where she reunited with her brother Erazm, Polish revolutionary, exiled from the Russian Partition after the anti-Tsarist

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...

crushed by the imperial army. Her brother's political and social views greatly influenced Narcyza. On his advice, she enrolled at the

Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

, and became one of the first women at the

French Academy French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

ever.

Manor of Kraszewski family in Romanów - Exhibition hall - 18

Her stay in France completely changed Żmichowska. She began to publicly express her radicalized views about women; dubbed by her bourgeois surroundings as "an excentric". She smoked cigars, which was prohibited to women. Her perfect knowledge of French enabled Narcyza to find new employment easily upon her return to occupied Poland. She became governess to four children of Stanisław Kisielecki at an estate near

Łomża Łomża (), in English known as Lomza, is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship ...

. She travelled to

frequently, where she met with other intellectuals. She debuted in the literary magazine ''Pierwiosnek'' (Primrose), and wrote regularly for other Polish magazines under the Russian censorship including ''Pielgrzym'' (edited by Eleonora Ziemięcka) and ''Przegląd Naukowy'', where other women published as well. Żmichowska founded a group of

Suffragettes A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to member ...

in Warsaw active in 1842–1849, who also took part in anti-Tsarist activities. She was arrested by the Russians in

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...

and sentenced to three years in prison in 1849 for her membership in the delegalized ''Związek Narodu Polskiego'' (pl). Żmichowska's first novel published in 1846 was ''Poganka'' (''The Heathen''), in which she is known to have expressed interest in her friend Paulina Zbyszewska. The book was published by Northern Illinois University Press in 2012 in English translation by Dr Ursula Phillips. Letters to friends and family written by Żmichowska were published in five volumes by

Wrocław University Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...

in 1960. There, she also expressed interest in a married man, Edward Dembowski, which led to a known scandal. Her correspondence with Bibianna Moraczewska (an unmarried woman by choice like Narcyza) spanning 32 years consisted mostly of intellectual discourses.

Works

* ''Poganka'' (''The Heathen'') * ''Książka pamiątek'' (''The Book of Mementos'') * ''Dwoiste życie'' (''Double Life'') * ''Czy to powieść?'' (''Is that a Novel?'') * ''Ścieżki przez życie'' (''Paths through Life'') * ''Biała róża'' (''White Rose'') * ''Wolne chwile Gabryelli'' (''Gabriela's Free Moments'') * ''Wykład nauk przeznaczonych do pomocy w domowym wychowaniu panien'' (''Lectures on Bringing up Girls'') * ''Wybór powieści'' (Collection of Novels and Novellas)

References

* ''This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the

Polish Wikipedia The Polish Wikipedia ( pl, Polskojęzyczna Wikipedia) is the Polish-language edition of Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia. Founded on September 26, 2001, it now has more than articles, making it the -largest Wikipedia edition overall.

.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Zmichowska, Narcyza 1819 births 1876 deaths Polish feminists Polish women poets Polish women novelists 19th-century Polish novelists 19th-century Polish poets 19th-century Polish women writers 19th-century Polish writers Polish women's rights activists Governesses Writers from Warsaw Burials at Powązki Cemetery 19th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers

Life

Works

See also

References