Dlaczego Krasiński nazwał księdza Jełowickiego „karłem”?
Why did Krasiński Call Father Jełowicki a “squirt”?

Summary/Abstract: In this article, the author attempts to discover the reasons why in 1848, atthe peak of the Springtime of the Peoples, the romantic writer ZygmuntKrasiński repeatedly called a Polish friar Aleksander Jełowicki a “squirt” inthe moral, political and every other sense. Krasiński did so in his lettersto Delfina Potocka, his lover and Jełowicki’s good acquaintance. Priorto becoming a Resurrectionist in the 1840s, Jełowicki participated in theNovember Uprising and was a prominent figure of the Great Emigration inParis, especially as an opinion publicist and publisher (also of Krasiński’sworks). In order to answer the question asked in the title, the author tracedthe earlier history of the relationship between the poet and the friar, createdJełowicki’s psychological, spiritual and intellectual portrait, and devotedsignificant attention to his moral teachings (on marital issues, among otherthings) expressed from the position of a dogmatic Catholic priest. As a result,the author proposed a hypothesis, although one lacking definitive proof,that apart from the significant political, dogmatic and religious differencesbetween the two men, Krasiński’s violent reaction could have been causedby the passionate Resurrectionist’s attempts at interfering in his private life.That is because Krasiński had been living in a love triangle for years, sharinghis life with Delfina Potocka and his wife Eliza, with no intention of changingthis state of affairs, and Jełowicki had a reputation for giving unsolicitedadvice on people’s private lives. The final part of this sketch describes thelater stages of the relationship, which changed after Zygmunt’s relationship with Delfina lost its erotic character – Jełowicki accompanied Krasiński athis deathbed and left a credible account of his passing.

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