Piotr Odmieniec Włast

• Name — Piotr Odmieniec Włast • Birth Name — Maria Komornicka • Born — 25 June 1876 • Birthplace — Grabów • Place of death — Izabelin • Occupation — Poet, literary critic, translator • Nationality — Polish

The poet's parents were Augustyn Komornicki and Anna Dunin-Wąsowicz, and their grandfather was Teodor Anzelm Dzwonkowski (1764–1850). The writer came from an affluent landowning family, and spent the childhood in a property in Grabów. In 1889 Anna Dunin-Wąsowicz came to Warsaw with her 6 children to grant them lessons from the best teachers (Piotr was taught literature by prof. Piotr Chmielowski). Włast had a literary debut in a newspaper "Gazeta Warszawska" in 1892 with short stories Z życia nędzarza and Staszka. In 1883 the same newspaper published a novella Rozłąka. In 1894 a collection of short stories Szkice was published, in the same year „Gazeta Poznańska” published a drama Skrzywdzeni. Then, under father's pressure, Włast went to Cambridge, to attend lectures at the Newnham College for six months. The diary of the stay was published under the ironic title Youth Paradise at the beginning of 1896. After return, Włast, Wacław Nałkowski and Cezary Jellenta published in 1895 a literary manifesto Forpoczty. In June 1898 a wedding with a poet Jan Lemański took place. The marriage was considered unsuccessful, and Lemański considered impetuous and morbidly jealous. According to Jan Lorentowicz's account, during his honeymoon, Lemański shot his wife twice with a pistol at Krakow's Planty Park. The relationship broke up after two years. In 1900 Włast published (under the name Komornicka) Baśnie. Psalmodie, and in 1901 a cooperation with "Chimera" edited by Zenon Przesmycki started. The writer published poetry, including series Czarne Płomienie (1901), prose (Biesy, 1902), translations from English, as well as reviews, signed "Włast". According to Maria Dernałowicz, in 1907 in the Bazar Hotel in Poznań (during a trip with mother to Kołobrzeg) Włast burned women's dresses in the oven and declared himself a man. From then on, Włast wore only men's clothing, smoked a pipe, cut hair short, and had some teeth removed (to get a more masculine facial shape) and consequently used the name Piotr Odmieniec Włast. Prof. Bogdan Zakrzewski recalled that Piotr was a friendly and very interesting interlocutor, his only condition was using masculine forms, referring to him. Włast not only declared himself to be a man, but also recognized himself as the new incarnation of Piotr Włast, the legendary founder of the Dunin family (of Anna Dunin-Wąsowicz). Declared insane by family, Włast stayed in sanatoriums and hospitals in the years 1907–1914. In 1914 Włast returned to Grabów, to begin writing his last work, Xięgi poezji idyllicznej (Books of Idyllic Poetry). By the end of his life he had become completely forgotten as a writer. In 1944, due to war damage, Włast left the family estate; he died in a medical establishment in Izabelin in 1949. His tombstone is located at the Powązki Military Cemetery (as Maria Komornicka-Lemańska (section B / 20 (7/22)).

• Szkice. Warszawa 1894 • with Wacław Nałkowski, Cezary Jellenta: Forpoczty. Lwów 1895 • Baśnie. Psalmodie. Warszawa 1900 • Maria Podraza-Kwiatkowska (red.): Utwory poetyckie prozą i wierszem. Maria Komornicka. Wydawnictwo Literackie, Kraków 1996,. * • Marya Komornicka (as Piotr Odmieniec Włast). *

• Edward Bulwer-Lytton: Zanoni. Powieść z czasów rewolucyi francuskiej. T. 1–3, Warszawa 1906 • Edward Bulwer-Lytton: Zanoni. Opowieść o różokrzyżowcu. Romans mistyczny z czasów Rewolucji Francuskiej. Sandomierz 2015

• Słówniczek muzyczny. (Harras), Warszawa 1887

The authorities additionally record the headings Maria Jakubina Komornicka, Maria Lemańska and Maria Komornicka. Her recorded languages were Polish and English. She married Jan Lemański. Other recorded relations include Stanisław Komornicki and Tomasz Komornicki.