Placówka by Bolesław Prus as a contribution to the characterization of neighbourly relations with Germany in the Kroniki of Bolesław Prus. Reconnaissance

Abstract

The article analyzes the Polish–German relations described by Bolesław Prus in Kroniki (Chronicles). It raises questions about how the author’s personal beliefs determine the construction of his novel characters. The author has avoided the coloured chauvinism of complaints about the in-creasing number of German colonists coming to the cities and provinces. Prus was aware of threats, but also saw the advantages and strengths of German organizations. Observations of neighbours and international relations were used by Prus mainly for comparisons. Prus’s chronicles and letters are a testimony to the sinusoidal variation of the author’s moods: from intoxication with greatness and modernity to emotional depression.