Józef Ignacy Kraszewski

Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (also Józef Ignatius Kraszewski, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Polish: Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Lithuanian: Juozapas Ignotas Kraševskis) was a Polish writer, publicist, publisher, and author of books on history and ethnography; pseudonyms: Kleofas Fakund Pasternak, Bogdan Bolesławita, Dr. Omega. He was distinguished by extraordinary productivity: his literary legacy comprises about 600 volumes of novels and stories, poetic and dramatic works, as well as studies on history, ethnography, folklore, travel essays, and publicistic and literary-critical articles.

He studied in Biała Podlaska, Lublin, and Swisłocz. In 1829 he entered Vilnius University. Because of his involvement in anti-government circles, he was arrested in December 1830 and imprisoned, then held in a prison hospital until March 1832. After his release, he first lived under supervision in Vilnius, then on leased or his own estates in Polesia and Volhynia. From 1853 he settled in Zhytomyr. He was a full member of the Vilnius Archaeological Commission. In 1858 he traveled in Italy, France, and Germany. From 1860 he settled in Warsaw, from which he was forced to leave in 1863 by order of the authorities.

He lived in Dresden. He engaged in intelligence activity in favor of France against Prussia, for which he was arrested in Berlin in 1883. After the trial in Leipzig (1884), he served a year and a half of imprisonment in Magdeburg. After his release, he went to Switzerland, where he spent the last years of his life. He is buried in Kraków.