Wacław Potocki

Szreniawa - Potockis' coat of arms

Wacław Potocki (1621 – 1696) was a Polish Baroque poet.

Biography

Wacław Potocki was born in the village named Wola Łużańska near the town of Biecz in Southern Poland.^[1] He was a member of noblemen family. They were Polish Brethren, Christians of the Minor Reformed Church.^[2] He was married to Katarzyna Morsztyn. After all Polish Brethren were given order either to become Roman Catholic or to go out of Poland forever,^[2] he changed his faith. Wacław Potocki died at Łużna in 1696. He was buried in Francuscan Church in Biecz.^[3]

Works

Wacław Potocki wrote a lot. He is the author of Ogród fraszek (The Garden of Verses)^[1] that consists of more than 2 000 short poems. Another book by Potocki, named Moralia is composed of more than 2 000 pieces, too.^[1] This was based on Adagia by Erasmus of Rotterdam.^[1] He wrote many poems, sometimes in ottava rima. His best known work is an epic poem Wojna chocimska (The War of Chocim).^[1] It was compared by Claude Backvis, a Belgian scholar, to John Milton's Paradise Lost.^[1] It narrates about the great battle against the Turks.^[4] The battle was fought in 1621, when the poet was born. The poem was written fifty years after.^[1] It is in heroic couplets. Lines of the poem consist of thirteen syllables with feminine rhymes.