Bolesław Hryniewiecki (1875–1963) – botanik jako badacz literatury

• Authors: Wysokińska Beata

Title variants

EN

BOLESŁAW HRYNIEWIECKI (1875–1963) BOTANIST AS A LITERATURE RESEARCHER

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

This article presents interests in the humanities, and particularly in literature, of an outstanding Polish botanist of the previous century – Bolesław Hryniewiecki (1875–1963). The scientist was not only a botanist but also an activist in wildlife conservation: creator and first president of the League for the Preservation of Nature. He took initiative in wildlife preservation for Polish national parks created thereafter. The other important field of his scholarly activity were the arts. Analysis of Hryniewiecki’s extensive scientific achievements shows a considerable share of works in the humanities, including comprehensive accounts of nature descriptions in Polish belles-lettres. Quantitative (approximate) presentation of the share of works in the humanities in his whole output as a scientist, including publications for the general public (excluding reviews and copies), clearly demonstrates that out of 468 publications, as many as 168, i.e. 36%, are works that can be categorised as the ones in the humanities. From the 30s of the 20th century, the number of Hryniewiecki’s works in the arts started to rise, with a break during the 2nd World War. After the War, his publications in the humanities outnumbered the works on nature. The most important ones were his accounts of the descriptions of nature in the works of Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) and Eliza Orzeszkowa (1841-1910). An interesting work titled Przyroda w twórczości Elizy Orzeszkowej (Nature in the literary works of Eliza Orzeszkowa) was never published and is preserved only in typescript kept in the Orzeszkowa Archive at the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Apart from the main subject expressed in the title, the manuscript also includes Hryniewiecki’s deliberations devoted to the importance of literary works for natural history. It can be assumed that Hryniewiecki’s research in the writings of Orzeszkowa and Mickiewicz was an important part of his inquiry into natural science, particularly in the later period of his life, when he ceased doing typical botanical research. When analysing the works of belles-lettres, Hryniewiecki intended to interpret them from the point of view of a botanist, to verify information which they contained, to comment and facilitate the reception of the themes of nature introduced by the writers, and popularize nature and its protection among the readers.

Keywords

EN

Bolesław Hryniewiecki; botany; nature protection; literature; history of botany

• Publisher: Instytut Historii Nauki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
• Journal: Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 61
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 65–80

Contributors

author

Wysokińska Beata

• Instytut Historii Nauki im. Ludwika i Aleksandra Birkenmajerów PAN