author
Stefan Żeromski
1864–1925
A powerful voice of modern Polish literature, he wrote with unusual emotional force about patriotism, social injustice, moral choice, and the struggle to shape a newly independent Poland. His best-known works include The Labours of Sisyphus, Homeless People, Ashes, and The Spring to Come.
1 Audiobook
Elämän hurma
by Stefan Żeromski
About the author
Born on October 14, 1864, in Strawczyn near Kielce, Stefan Żeromski grew up in a financially struggling noble family. After losing his parents early, he supported himself through tutoring and briefly studied at a veterinary institute in Warsaw. His difficult youth, illness, and close observation of poverty strongly influenced his writing.
Żeromski became one of the leading Polish writers of the Young Poland movement, working as a novelist, dramatist, journalist, and social activist. His fiction often combines passionate patriotism with sharp criticism of social inequality. Among his most important works are The Labours of Sisyphus, Homeless People, Ashes, The Faithful River, and The Spring to Come.
After Poland regained independence, he helped organize the country’s cultural and literary life and took part in founding several writers’ institutions. In 1925, he received the first Polish state literary prize for Wind from the Sea. He died in Warsaw on November 20, 1925, and was mourned nationwide.