Bolesław Prus

Polish novelist. His real name was Aleksander Głobacki. He was born into a family of fallen minor nobility, but lost his parents at an early age and grew up mainly in Lublin with his relatives. He participated in the patriotic independence movement from his childhood, and was wounded during the January Uprising (1863-64) and imprisoned in Lublin. After his release, he graduated from high school but dropped out of university. As a journalist, he exposed the miserable state of Polish society just before independence. He later turned to writing, and in his short stories "Michałko" (1880) and "Vest" (1882), he humorously expressed sympathy for the poor, and in his first full-length novel, "The Fortress" (1886), he portrayed peasants defending their land from German colonialists. His four-volume full-length novel "Dolls" (1887-89) is a representative work that analyzes the various human relationships of a wide range of social classes, from the nobility to the poor. He also wrote a popular novel, Pharaoh (1896).

[Shozo Yoshigami]

"Umeda Yoshitada's translation of "Chokki" (included in "World Literature System 93: Modern Novels", 1965, Chikuma Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ポーランドの小説家。本名アレクサンデル・グウォバツキ。没落した小貴族の家に生まれたが両親を早く失い、おもにルブリンの親戚(しんせき)のもとで成長した。少年時代から愛国独立運動に参加、一月蜂起(ほうき)（1863～64）に加わって負傷、ルブリンの監獄に入れられた。釈放後高校を卒業したが大学は中退、ジャーナリストとして、独立直前のポーランド社会の悲惨な状態を暴いた。のち創作に移り、短編『ミハウコ』（1880）、『チョッキ』（1882）などでは、貧しい人々への同情をユーモラスな筆致に込め、最初の長編『とりで』（1886）では、ドイツ植民主義者から土地を守る農民の姿を描いた。長編『人形』四巻（1887～89）は貴族から貧民に至る広範な社会層のさまざまな人間関係を分析した代表作である。また、大衆小説『ファラオ』（1896）もある。

［吉上昭三］

『梅田良忠訳『チョッキ』（『世界文学体系93　近代小説集』所収・1965・筑摩書房）』

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