Anna Nakwaska facts for kids

A painting of Anna Nakwaska from 1815 by Marcello Bacciarelli.

Anna Nakwaska when she was older.

Anna Nakwaska (born March 28, 1781, in Warsaw, died October 21, 1851) was a Polish writer, who wrote stories, memoirs, and books for children. She was also interested in education.

Her Life Story

Anna was born to Stanisław Kostka Krajewski, who worked for the king, and Franciszka Krajewska. She learned at home in Warsaw and on their family's country estate. All her lessons were in French.

She married Franciszek Salezy Nakwaski, who was an important government official. He became a leader in the Warsaw region and later a Voivode (a type of governor) in Congress Poland.

Anna and Franciszek had a son named Henryk in 1800. Henryk later became involved in politics and moved to France.

The family first lived in Lipnice near Płock. But they often visited Warsaw, the capital city. In Warsaw, Anna was part of a group at the Palac pod Blacha (a palace). She was very active in the city's cultural life. She met many famous people, like Franciszek Salezy Dmochowski and Onufry Kopczyński.

During a time called the Duchy period, Anna helped oversee girls' schools. She was also part of a group that looked after women's education. At the same time, she studied Polish language and literature on her own.

After a big event called the November uprising ended, Anna spent her summers at her estate in Mała Wieś. She would return to Warsaw for the winter. In 1837, she traveled to Switzerland. Seven years later, in 1844, she visited Lower Silesia and Wrocław. She also stopped in Szczawnica for a health treatment.

What She Wrote

Starting in 1816, Anna Nakwaska hosted a popular "literary salon" in Warsaw. This was a place where writers, artists, and thinkers would meet to talk about books and ideas. Her salon was very popular for many years.

She wrote different kinds of books:

• Novels: These included Czarna mara and Obraz warszawskiego społeczeństwa w dwóch powieściach spisany.
• Children's stories: She loved writing for younger readers.
• Historical fiction: These were stories based on historical events, especially the uprising. Examples are Aniela, czyli Ślubna obrączka and Powstaniec litewski.

Parts of her personal memories, called memoirs, were published after she died. An extract appeared in the 'Gazeta Warszawska' newspaper in 1852. More parts were published in Kronika Rodzinna in 1891. However, her full memoirs have never been published.

Important Books and Stories

Here are some of Anna Nakwaska's well-known works:

• Trois nouvelles, publiées par une Polonaise (Three Novellas, Published by a Polish Woman), Warsaw 1821.
• Suite des Trois nouvelles, publiées par une Polonaise (Sequel to Three Novellas, Published by a Polish Woman), Warsaw 1821.
• Obraz warszawskiego społeczeństwa w dwóch powieściach (Picture of Warsaw Society in Two Novels), published in 1842.
• Aniela, czyli ślubna obrączka. Powieść narodowa (Aniela, or the Wedding Ring. A National Novel), Warsaw 1831. This book was also translated into French, German, and Italian.
• Powstaniec litewski. Obraz romantyczny z czasów rewolucji w Polsce 1831 r. (The Lithuanian Rebel. A Romantic Picture from the Time of the 1831 Revolution in Poland), published in 1845.
• Odwiedziny babuni, czyli powieści dla zabawy grzecznych dzieci (Grandma's Visit, or Stories for Good Children's Fun), Warsaw 1833–1834.
• Wody karlsbadzkie. Powieść z wydarzeń towarzyskich (Carlsbad Waters. A Novel of Social Events), written in 1834.
• Młodość Kopernika (Copernicus's Youth), published in "Jutrzenka" in 1834. This story was also translated into French.
• Marguerite de Zembocin, published in "Revue du Nord" in 1835.
• Wspomnienia z podróży po Szwajcarii i Tyrolu w roku 1837 (Memories from a Journey through Switzerland and Tyrol in 1837), published in "Przyjaciel Ludu" in 1838.
• Czarna mara. Powieść historyczna. Kronika dawnego zamku książąt mazowieckich (The Black Specter. A Historical Novel. Chronicle of the Old Castle of the Mazovian Princes), written in 1838, published in 1841.
• Wspomnienia z czasów pruskich i Księstwa Warszawskiego (1792–1830) (Memories from Prussian Times and the Duchy of Warsaw), written around 1840. Parts of these memoirs were published in newspapers.
• Niedzielne wieczory starego stolarza. Powieści dla rzemieślników (Sunday Evenings of the Old Carpenter. Stories for Craftsmen), Leszno 1843.
• Otton i Berta, published in "Pielgrzym" in 1844.
• Chrzestna matka w koronie, czyli pierwsze róże (The Godmother in the Crown, or the First Roses), published in "Pielgrzym" in 1844.
• Wspomnienia krótkiej podróży 1844 r. do Śląska (Memories of a Short Trip in 1844 to Silesia), published in "Pielgrzym" in 1845.
• Testament. Powieść (The Will. A Novel), which was never published.

Anna also contributed to many Polish magazines and journals. Some of these include "Jutrzenka" (1834), "Pamiętnik Warszawski" (1819-1820), "Pielgrzym" (1844–1845), "Pierwiosnek" (1840–1843), "Przyjaciel Ludu" (1838), and "Revue du Nord" (1835).

Translations She Made

Anna Nakwaska also translated books from other languages into Polish. For example, she translated M. Wirtemberska's Malvian, ou l'instinct du coeur from Polish into French in 1817.

Her Letters

Many of Anna Nakwaska's letters have been saved. These include:

• Letters to M. Radziwiłł (later Krasińska) from 1794–1802.
• Letters to T. and E. Rastawiecki from 1807–1815.
• Other letters from 1799–1830 found in the Rastawiecki family's old papers.
• Letters to her sister, T. Rastawiecka, from 1806–1816 (written in French) and in 1808.

See Also

In Spanish: Anna Nakwaska para niños