Anna Libera – a ‘Cracovian’. Nationality and regionalizm

Abstract

Anna Libera (1805-1886) is one of the most unique figures of romantic Cracow. She conformed her life to two passions – literature and social activity. She wrote epic works and dramas but she was mainly recognized thanks to poetry inspired by Cracow history and local folklore. The most popular pieces in her output, the so-called ‘krakowiaki’, meaning songs stylized to be like folk songs, refer to romantic nationality and regionalism. In public Libera also realized herself as the first suffragist in Cracow. She put forward her postulates in numerous speeches, appeals and essays, in which she demanded improvement in the lives of women. The majority of Libera’s works have not yet been published and are still in the form of handwritten manuscripts in the Cracow Czartoryski Library.