Władisław Reymont’s Fascination With Occultism: Biographical and Artistic Threads
Władisław Reymont’s Fascination With Occultism: Biographical and Artistic Threads

Summary/Abstract: Władysław Reymont (1867–1925) won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1924; praised for his unique insight into peasants’ life, realism and positivistic vibe, he is rarely considered an author interested in esoteric currents. A period of his travel as a medium, his attendance at the congress of The Theosophical Society in England, were marginalized and shown as unimportant events during his troubled life. The analysis of the author’s own statements, and tracing esoteric-related motifs in his works, show that Reymont’s own views of his works, and esotericism itself, were quite different. It is not the first time that the biography and intentions of the author tell a different story than contemporary textbooks. The paper traces Reymont’s fascinations in Eastern thought, Theosophical current, and Spiritualistic experiments, which were reflected in his works.

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