Mikołaj Jemiołowski: historian or diarist? On literary aspects of a diary from the times of 17th-century wars

Abstract

The paper analyses the literary aspects of 17^th century diary by Mikołaj Jemiołowski. Its author was a noble soldier who served as a heavy cavalryman in the times of war with Cossack uprising in Ukraine led by Bohdan Chmielnicki, Swedish invasion known as “the deluge”, wars in the east borders of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with Grand Duchy of Moscow and struggle against the Turkish expansion. The Diary was written in the end of the century, but it describes the period of 1648-1679. Literary aspect of this text is an interesting problem, because Jemiołowski focuses rather on historical facts than his own experiences, and so that his diary in many ways resembles the chronicle. The essay also briefs the biography of Mikołaj Jemiołowski and the current state of research on analysed text.