They were purchased at a foreign auction thanks to funds from Krystyna Piórkowska, a New York-based Polish philanthropist and collector of memorabilia relating to Polish history and culture.
The letters date from 1837 and were written in French to French poet Alfred de Vigny. In them, Mickiewicz dwelt on his efforts to have his drama Les Confédérés de Barr produced in a Paris theatre.
The director of the National Library, Tomasz Makowski, has described the acquisition as important for the history of both Polish and French literature.
The National Library collection includes a manuscript of Mickiewicz’s poem Ode to Youth and numerous first editions of his works.
The publication of Mickiewicz’s Ballady i romanse (Ballads and Romances) in 1822 is regarded as the onset of Romanticism in Polish literature.
His prolific output includes such masterpieces as the drama Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve) and the epic poem Pan Tadeusz (Master Thaddeus).
November 26 marks the 165th anniversary of Mickiewicz’s death.
(mk/pk)
