Asnyk, Adam

Born Sept. 11, 1838, in Kalisz; died Aug. 2, 1897, in Kraków. Polish poet. Participant in the Polish uprising of 1863.

While continuing the traditions of romanticism, Asnyk developed the genres of civic and philosophical lyricism (the sonnet cycle Above the Depths, 1883–94), as well as intimate and pastoral lyricism. Characteristic of Asnyk’s poetry are a wealth of moods, polished form, and musical lines. He was the author of the historical dramas Cola Rienzi (1873) and Kiejstut (1878) and such comedies of daily life as The Jew (1875) and The Friends of Jove (1879).