Towards reconstruction of a portrait. Julia Dickstein-Wieleżyńska in the light of letters to Jerzy Eugeniusz Płomieński

Abstract

This edition of selected letters of Julia Dickstein-Wieleżyńska to Jerzy Eugeniusz Płomieński, from the collection of the Library of the Ossoliński National Institute in Wrocław, allows not only to reconstruct the fate of their acquaintance and friendship. It also makes it possible to recognize several important threads that make up the biography of their author: her translation and cultural activities, the development of her academic career, her relationships with both scholars and publishers, as well as family members. It includes traces of views on her own and other authors’ work, as well as life difficulties, including persistent and obstructive health problems. It thus becomes invaluable biographical material, especially in view of the fact that the Dickstein-Wieleżyńska’s archive was destroyed during World War II. It also highlights the role of the letter as a source for a portrait of the artist and his individual writing style.