Mirrors, Echoes, Dialogues

Autobiographical themes in the novel

When presenting the idea for Pan Graba to one of its first readers, editor Józef Sikorski, Eliza Orzeszkowa wrote in her letter: 

I wanted it to be a satire on a certain aspect of the customs of a certain part of the men of my time; everything you find in the first part of my novel is a complete and faithful reproduction of the truth – to the extent that the characters are copies of real and familiar ones, and the facts took place before my eyes.

This argument was probably intended primarily to excuse the young author from tackling sensitive topics (the dangers of gambling, the work’s demoralized protagonist, the noble heroine, yet striving for a “divorce”), as well as to clear her of the accusation of excessive fantasy (since the characters and the course of action were supposed to be the result of meticulous observation of the reality of a provincial town). “Representing the truth” thus guaranteed the credibility of the story told and the plausibility of the characters portrayed.

Attempts to treat this early work as a source of autobiographical information or as a roman à clef seem as tempting as they are risky, and have already been undertaken by critics and scholars. According to Ludwik Brunon Świderski, there was even a specific prototype for Kalikst Graba, a “well-known” card player and schemer in the Grodno region, January Mikulski. This inspiration, however, would be understandable only to a narrow geographic and social audience, and therefore does not meet the requirement of broad recognition of the real-life characters or situations, which precludes treating Pan Graba as a typical roman à clef. Moreover, the writer’s desire to address socially significant issues meant that (like the overwhelming majority of authors of her generation) she did not use this creative method, or if she did, she used it in a limited and specific way. It is also doubtful that she introduced even to her early works undisguised and artistically unprocessed experiences of her own or those of an ill-matched marriage, as Irena Krzywicka suggested in her essay Młoda Orzeszkowa [Young Orzeszkowa]. Orzeszkowa’s enigmatic remark about working on the novel, from her letter to Sikorski from late 1868: “I decided to rewrite it myself from beginning to end and I think I will arrange it so as not to cover myself with anonymity, which is contrary to my principles of authorial courage and private openness,” was commented on by Iwona Wiśniewska:

Perhaps [Orzeszkowa – A. B. and A. G.-K.] intended to include scenes describing her real-life experiences with the consistory lawyer. It is impossible to assume that she intended to give the character her surname.

Contrary to the anecdotes of Orzeszkowa’s contemporaries, we should not see Mr. Grab today as a realistic portrait of real people, nor should we treat this novel as a disguised autobiography of the writer. However, the author certainly drew on material from her observations of the world around her, the places she visited, and the books she read to build her early works. In them, she also touched on issues that deeply concerned her, for example, the relationship problems of a married couple, the situation of a wife in an unsuccessful relationship, the issue of women’s financial independence or difficulties in obtaining a declaration of invalidity of marriage, which the writer experienced in the Vilnius consistory while working on the novel.

Both in Pan Graba and in her private correspondence, the writer used the popular, though imprecise, terms “divorce” or “annulment of marriage” (canon law only permitted the declaration of the nullity of a marriage, dispensation from a non-consummated marriage, and separation). The thirteen grounds (so-called canonical impediments to marriage) listed by the novel’s lawyer are consistent with the legal status of the time (but do not exhaust the entire list, which also includes defects in marital consent and deficiencies in canonical form). The process of seeking a declaration of the nullity of a marriage was lengthy and burdensome, not only psychologically but also financially: in Orzeszkowa’s case, it lasted nearly two years (1867–1869), took place in two instances of the Vilnius consistory (without the need to appeal to the Tribunal of the Roman Rota), and cost her approximately six thousand rubles. Recounting her trials and tribulations, she admitted honestly in a private letter: “I begged some, paid and even threatened others, and finally I got my way.” For Pan Graba’s character, as for the author, “none of the canonical reasons can serve.” Kamilla G. has “nothing” (she lacks money, support from family and friends), so all she can do is wait for death to separate her from her unloved husband. 

An intriguing similarity can also be found in the ending of the novel – the “port” in the city of M., designed for several single women, which is supposed to provide them with a safe shelter and a modest living, is also a place of residence, a boarding school for several students and a glove factory (part 3, chapters 10 and 12). In the autumn of 1869, Orzeszkowa, like her characters, exchanged the countryside for the city and, out of necessity, significantly reduced her expenses: she moved from Milkowszczyzna to Grodno, where she lived in Zaułek Sienny in much more modest conditions (in three rooms and with only one maid). The writer enthusiastically explained in detail the plans, hatched for several months among friends, for a company with a share capital of three thousand rubles, which were to be used to bring machines, materials, and three skilled workers from Warsaw as teachers for local female workers. The writer enthusiastically explained to Józef Sikorski, who was intrigued by the note about opening of a plant “under the name of Eliza Orzeszkowa and Company” published in “Gazeta Warszawska” [Warsaw Gazette] (No. 264 of November 30, 1869). Unfortunately, the project for a lucrative “glove factory,” which, according to the author’s optimistic calculations, Pan Graba could generate up to twelve thousand rubles in Grodno annually, despite the interest of potential employees, never came to fruition.