“Your Polish Prometheus”. The Experience of Freedom and Slavery in the Writings of Walerian Łukasiński

Abstract

The article contains an interpretation of Walerian Łukasiński’s writings, which were written during his imprisonment in Schlisselburg. At the centre of these considerations is the author’s key experience of freedom and slavery. This issue is considered in the context of Łukasiński’s biography, nineteenth-century prison literaturę (Silvio Pellico), and also through the prism of the then history of the Polish community (Napoleonic Times, Congress of Vienna, Polish Kingdom, November Uprising, January Uprising, Polish-Russian relations). An important point of reference is the understanding of freedom in the 19th century, especially in two aspects: political freedom (national independence, social freedom, civil freedom, personal freedom) and non-political, internal freedom (primarily Christian spiritual freedom). In the light of the analyses presented, the hero of the article turns out to be a character with Promethean features.