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Zofia Odescalchi – Cyprian Norwid. A history of a relationship
Abstract
The article recalls Zofia Odescalchi (née Branicka) and her acquaintance with Cyprian Norwid. Their first meeting probably took place in 1845 in Rome, during the young poet’s close friendship with the Duchess’s brother-in-law, Zygmunt Krasiński. It is emphasised that at that time the superbly educated Polish aristocrat gathered the intellectual elite of 19th-century Europe, including the Polish émigré community, in her salon in the centre of the Eternal City. It is also significant that the woman who was called “the most pious Roman princess” by – nota bene – her friend Pius IX, had a considerable influence on Vatican politics at that time, which she used to take care of the Polish cause on the international arena. For both the author of Quidam and Zofia Odescalchi, the conflict between the Vatican and Italy in 1848, linked to Rome’s Spring of Nations, proved to be a time of active involvement in the defence of the values to which they both adhered. The religious and political views close to both of them were manifested in the numerous courageous actions taken by the Duchess. The extent to which she continued to impress Norwid long after the turbulent years he spent in Rome clearly resonates in his letter sent to her from Paris on 11 December 1879.
Keywords:
Norwid, Zofia Odescalchi, Ksawery Branicki, Rome, Pius IX, Spring of Nations, Zygmunt Krasiński, Elżbieta (Eliza) Krasińska née BranickaDetails
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
