Age of Prose

The second half of the 19th century was a difficult time for aspiring poets. They had to compete with the powerful legacy of the Romantic Bards; there was also a significant shift in the preferences of the public from fiery poetry of national liberation to realist novels of organic work or historical romance. As a result, the greatest names of Polish literature of the time include novelists such as Eliza Orzeszkowa, Boleslaw Prus, or Henryk Sienkiewicz. Of the two most valued poets, Adam Asnyk (1838-97) was the author of "little more than rhymed philosophical, or even scientific, discourses." Maria Konopnicka (1842-1910) was first of all an emancipated woman, a champion of the lower classes and an author of excellent writing for children..