A Queer Biography by the Author of Lato leśnych ludzi, or Season of (Forest) Women
Katarzyna Nadana-Sokołowska
The Institut of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Scienses in Warsawhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4207-414X
Abstract
This article reviews Emilia Padoł’s biography of Maria Rodziewiczówna (Rodziewicz-ówna. Gorąca dusza, Krakow 2023) in the broader context of other Polish life writings that can be described as both biographies of creative women and lesbian biographies, as well as biographies of couples (in particular Karolina Dzimira-Zarzycka’s biography of Maria Dulębianka, published in 2022). The author discusses Padoł’s treatment of gender and sexual identity in her book, contrasting it with Dzimira-Zarzycka’s approach, which she finds more sensitive to the contexts of the era and not projecting contemporary LGBTQ+ categories onto Dulębianka to such an extent. The article presents the so-called “Boston marriage” as an important theme of both biographies (even if Padol does not refer to this concept). It also presents the effects of the feminist revision to which Padoł subjects Rodziewiczówna’s work.
Keywords:
Maria Rodziewiczówna, bigraphy, feminist criticism, queer, lesbian studiesReferences
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The Institut of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Scienses in Warsaw https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4207-414X
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