Franciszek Zabłocki
Franciszek Ksawery Mikołaj Zabłocki (2 January 1754 in Volhynia – 10 September 1821 in Końskowola) was the most distinguished Polish comic playwright and satirist of the Enlightenment. He came from an old noble family with the Łada coat of arms. He translated many French comedies, including those by Molière, and also wrote his own plays about Polish life.
From 1774 he worked in the Commission for National Education. In 1794 he took part in the Kościuszko Uprising. In 1795 he left literature and became a priest.
Zabłocki’s literary career began with works published in Zabawy Przyjemne i Pożyteczne (Pleasant and Useful Amusements), the first Polish magazine of its kind, started in 1770. During King Stanisław August’s reign Warsaw was full of literary activity. The King hosted weekly dinner parties, and Zabłocki was a regular guest along with writers such as Adam Naruszewicz and Ignacy Krasicki. At one dinner he read his first comedy Fri Zabobonnik, and the King rewarded him with the Medal Merentibus. After that, Zabłocki wrote about 40 plays in ten years, mostly comedies.
Major works include Amphitryon (1783), Sarmatism (1785), Muhammad Harlequin (1785), King of Bliss in the Country (1787), Yellow Nightcap (1783), Doctor of Lublin (1781), Gamrat (1785), and The Marriage of Figaro (1786).
He died in Końskowola in 1821.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:29 (CET).