Orphan Girl

Anna Stanisławska (1651–1700) was a Polish aristocrat popularly regarded as the first woman writer in Polish literature, with her unique autobiographical epic poem improbably titled A Transaction, or an Account of the Entire Life of an Orphan Girl by way of Plaintful Threnodies. The backdrop of Stanisławska’s life was one of war and turmoil, but the account of her life reveals a woman at odds with her clamorous and exacting age, wanting traditional happiness (grounded in a spiritual conviction and an engagement with religious devotion), but not seeking, as was often the case, wealth, title, entitlement, and prominence, all of which Stanisławska happened to possess in abundance. Barry Keane, professor in translation and comparative studies in the Institute of English Studies at the University of Warsaw, is the editor and translator of Anna Stanisławska, Orphan Girl, the “Aesop” episode; the “Olesnicki” episode; and the entire work, including the final “Zbaski” episode. He is the author of the monograph Irish Drama in Poland: Staging and Reception, 1900–2000 and books on the Renaissance poet Jan Kochanowski, the Polish Renaissance and Baroque, and the modernist Skamander poets. He has also penned a wide range of scholarly articles and several volumes of poetry.

• Foreword Acknowledgments Illustrations Introduction Orphan Girl —The Aesop Episode ——Preface ——Threnodies 1–29 (Stanzas 1–273) ——Commentary —The Olesnicki Episode ——Preface ——Threnodies 29–52 (Stanzas 274–465) ——Commentary —The Zbaski Episode ——Preface ——Threnodies 53–77 (Stanzas 466–745) ——Commentary Chronology Bibliography Index