The Mouseiad and other Mock Epics

gnacy Krasicki (1735-1801) entered the Church as the younger son of a noble Polish family. His talents, and ambitions, eventually led him through the bishopric of Warmia in North-Western Poland to the See of Gniezno, where he reigned as Primate of Poland from 1795 until his death. He was a friend to the last king of Poland, Stanis¿aw August Poniatowski, at whose coronation in Warsaw he delivered the homily. When, due to the partitions of Poland, the diocese of Warmia found itself within the borders of the Prussian Empire, Krasicki's friendship was cultivated by the Prussian King Friedrich II. Krasicki is said to have written the Monachomachia at the palace of Sans-Souci. Krasicki dominates the eighteenth century in Poland like no one else. He was creative in all literary genres, but especially excelled in verse satires (Satyry, 1778-1779) and fables (Bajki i pryzpowie¿ci, 1776-1778). His mock epics, the Mouseiad (Myszeis, 1775), Monachomachia (1778) and Anti-Monachomachia (1778) are among the finest of the genre ever written. Krasicki introduced the Candide-like picaresque novel to Poland with his Miköaja Döwiadczy¿skiego Przypadki (Adventures of Miköaj Döwiadczy¿ski, 1776); he also tried his hand at the serious epic, composing his Chocim War (Wojna chocimska) in 1780.