KRASICKI, IGNACY. — Polish writer, b. at Dubieck on 3 Feb. 1735, d. at Berlin on 14 Mar. 1801. Of noble family, he took holy orders, became a member of the Polish Senate, court chaplain, and at the age of thirty-two, bishop.
His work as a writer bears witness to the versatility of his intellect and his genius. A clear prose writer, he engaged in journalistic activity, traces of which remain in critical articles, stories, and novels. He published a Universal History of Poetry and a Universal Encyclopedia, entirely compiled by him, the first of its kind in Poland. But K.’s fame is especially linked to his poetry, perfect in inspiration and form, to his Satires of classical beauty, and to his witty Fables, jewels in which he reveals the smiling and indulgent skepticism he held toward men. K. is also the author of poems, including the Monachomachia; he translated Plutarch and the Odyssey. He exerted a profound influence on the cultural renewal of Poland, restoring literature—decadent in the 17th century—to the heights of the golden age, and thus paving the way for the great writers of Romanticism.