The Heathen: A Novel

Notes

notes 1. Emilia (affectionate form Emilka) = Anna Skimborowicz (c.1808– 1875). Hipolit Skimborowicz was her second husband. The names of the fireside friends are explained in the Introduction. 2. Felicja = Bibianna Moraczewska (1811–1887). 3. Seweryna = Tekla Dobrzyńska (c.1815–c.1876). 4. Tekla = Wincenta Zabłocka (d.o.b. unknown–1875). 5. Jadwiga = Kazimiera Ziemięcka (1820–1874). 6. Augusta = Zofia Mielęcka-Węgierska (1822–1869). 7. River in Central Poland, tributary of the Vistula. 8. Other sources indicate that Węgierska was born in Górki Borze in Podlasie, not in Great Poland. 9. Anna = Stefania Dzwonkowska (dates unknown), sister of Władysław Dzwonkowski (1818–1880), according to Żmichowska’s letter to Izabela Zbiegniewska (see Introduction) not, as Boy-Żeleński claims, Faustyna Morzycka (dates unknown), known to Żmichowska and other close friends as Fochna—not to be confused with a female activist of the same name (1864–1910). In her letter Żmichowska states that Stefania is no longer alive, so she must have died before March 1871. 10. Friedrich Moritz August Retzsch (1779–1857), painter and engraver. 11. Explorer, travel writer and naturalist Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt (1769–1859). 12. Albert = Jan Majorkiewicz (1820–1847). 13. Henryk = Edward Dembowski (1822–1846). 14. Dembowski, one of the leaders of the Kraków uprising against the Austrians, died in Podgórze in February 1846, aged only 24. ecause of the great contrast between his conservative aristocratic background and his utopian socialism, he was known as the “castellan’s red son” (czerwony kasztelanic ). He was secretary to the “dictator” of the uprising, Jan Tyssowski. 15. In her Letter to Izabela Zbiegniewska of March 1871, Żmichowska explains that Leon is a character made up of several separate individuals. Notes  16. According to Boy-Żeleński (drawing on Hipolit Skimborowicz), Edmund = Karol Baliński (1817–1864). However, in her letter to Zbiegniewska (1871) Żmichowska says this is another poet, Teofil Lenartowicz (1822–1893). 17. Pseudonym of Żmichowska, the overall narrator of the frame and of the novel, sometimes also spelled: Gabryella. 18. Hipolit Skimborowicz (1815–1880). 19. This seems to be a reference to the “True Self” (atman), the inner person or soul, of the Sanskrit Vedas and Upanishads. Brahma is the first god of the Hindu trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. It is possible that Żmichowska gained knowledge about Indian religions when she was in Paris (1838–1839), at that time the centre of western learning on the ancient texts thanks to the work of Eugène Burnouf, and this fed into her own quest for spiritual enlightenment beyond conventional Catholicism. 20. The Livonian Brothers of the Sword, founded in 1202. In 1237 they were incorporated into the Order of Teutonic Knights but continued to have a considerable degree of autonomy as the Livonian Order. 21. William Parry (1790–1855) and James Clark Ross (1800–1862), polar explorers. 22. The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance founded at La Trappe Abbey, Normandy, in 1664. Monks observe a rule of silence, speaking only when absolutely necessary. 23. See Introduction for an explanation of this form. 24. Genesis 35; verse 18. Benoni, the name given to her son by Rachel , means “son of my sorrow” (RSV and Jerusalem Bible) whereas Jacob changes it to Benjamin, meaning “son of the right hand” or “son of the south” (RSV); “son of the right hand = son of happy omen” (Jerusalem Bible). As with other forms of his name, “Benoni” anticipates an aspect of Benjamin’s future. It is worth noting that a reduction of possibly both forms (Benoni and Benjamin) “Beni” is the affectionate form of address used by Aspasia (the only character who employs this form). 25. Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), philosopher, scientist, hero of the War of Independence, President of the United States (1785–1788). 26. Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), Spanish artist. His Cato depicts the suicide of Cato of Utica or Cato the Younger: Marcus Porcius (95–46 BC), grandson of Cato the Censor. It is possible that Żmichowska viewed the picture when she was living in Paris in the late 1830s. 27. Józef Bohdan Zaleski (1802–1886), Polish poet of the so-called Ukrainian School. 28. Moloch: Canaanite god to whom children were sacrificed (Leviticus 18:21); appears in other biblical texts and in literary works, including John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Notes  29. Or Lemberg; present-day L...