Description
Adam Mickiewicz belongs to the most eminent Romantic poets and writers and is one of the greatest figures in the Polish literature. This poet, political writer and activist, as well as visionary lived in the years 1798-1855. His life is a classic example of a Romantic biography, typical for the entire generation. First and foremost, it was determined by patriotism and the struggle for the nation’s independence.
The life and works of the bard is easily broken into four different periods. The first one, the so-called Vilnius-Kaunas period, covers the study years in Vilnius (1816 - 1819), and the time the poet spent working as a teacher in Kaunas (1819 - 1823). During that time Mickiewicz came into closer contact with a group of Philomaths and Philarets, and started writing his first poems, including the Ode to Youth, the Song of the Philarets, Grażyna, the 2nd and the 4th parts of the Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve), as well as the many ballads and romances. At that time of his life he also met Maryla Wereszczakówna, with whom he fell in unrequited love, affecting all of Mickiewicz’s later life, not only in terms of feelings, but also in terms of the works he created.
In 1823 the Philomath Society, of which Mickiewicz was a member, was dissolved. As a result of a court investigation Mickiewicz was sentenced to exile to Russia, and this was the beginning of the second period in his life, the so-called Russian period. During the time he spent in Russia, he came into friendly relationships with Russian Romantics (including Pushkin) and traveled a lot - to the Crimea, Moscow, Petersburg, and Odessa. It was then that he wrote the famous Crimean Sonnets and the great epic, Konrad Wallenrod.
On leaving Russia he found himself in Italy, where he learned of the outbreak of the November Uprising of 1830. However, he could not get through to the Kingdom of Poland. In 1832, together with a wave of post-uprising immigrants, he came to Dresden, where he wrote the most famous 3rd part of the Dziady.
Paris marks the last period in Mickiewicz’s life. In 1834 he married Cecylia Szymanowska and published the greatest one of his works, the Polish national epic called Pan Tadeusz. He spent two years (between 1839 and 1840) in Lausanne teaching as a professor of Latin literature. This is where he also wrote a series of lyrics, called the Lausanne Lyrics. In 1840 he was appointed the chair of Slavic languages at the College de France. He later began writing political pieces for the Trybuna Ludów. Next he worked as a librarian in Paris. Mickiewicz died on 26 November 1855.
The works by Adam Mickiewicz have become an enduring part of the Polish national consciousness, being continually reprinted and commented upon. In the current discussions on the shape of the future united Europe Mickiewicz is referred to as a pioneer of the vision of the federation of free nations and citizens, as well as the developer of the concept of the homeland as a community built upon the feeling of cultural bonds and a system of values. Mickiewicz’s works, in whole or in part, have been frequently translated into more than 20 languages.
Obverse
In the central part of the coin - the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Below it - the mint’s mark (m/w). On the rim - a semicircular inscriptions: ELIZABETH II and NIUE ISLAND (name of issuer), 2 DOLLARS (face value) and 2011 (issue year).
Reverse
W centralnej części monety - stylizowany popiersia Adama Mickiewicza. Poniżej - własnoręczny podpis Mickiewicza oraz inicjały projektanta (PG).
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