Pokłosie: literary fund raising for the benefit

Abstract

The article presents the history of a literary almanac Pokłosie published in the region (Leszno, later Poznań, then part of Prussia) between 1852 and 1861. A peculiar trait of the periodical-almanac was its combination of the three following components: elitist literary content, regularity in publishing and the donation of the entire income from the title to charity. In the mid-nineteenth century the region of Greater Poland (Polish: Wielkopolska) was affected by a widespread European subsistence crisis. As a result of concurrent cholera epidemic and the acute economic crisis, an urgent need for assistance to orphans, vulnerable children and the poor in general emerged. A group of landowning gentry and Catholic priests from around Gostyń created the so-called Gostyń Institute, i.e. a hospital and orphanage. The most active of the group was Edmund Bojanowski of Grabonóg, who also developed a network of crčches for local peasant children. To support the initiative financially, Bojanowski established a literary periodical entitled Pokłosie. There were many volunteers who helped him to collect suitable material for the periodical, editing it, providing proofreading and distribution. The only people who were actually paid for their involvement were publishers and booksellers. The closest co-worker to Bojanowski was Stanisław Egbert Koźmian, a literary critic, translator and editor of Przegląd Poznański. Koźmian provided Pokłosie with some material unused in Przegląd, not necessarily less interesting but one that did not fit the conservative profile of the periodical. The adopted guiding principle for the editors of Pokłosie was that only first printings would be published and, additionally, the periodical managed to maintain high literary standards throughout its whole existence. The almanac had very diversified contents since the contributing authors represented different literary trends and political orientations. However, aggravating financial problems and the increased political pressure in the province, resulting in hampering publications in the Polish language, eventually led to a decision to cease the publication of Pokłosie.