Miłosierdzie gminy

"We are opening a series of Polish-English editions of Konopnicka's prose and poetry with the short story "Community Welfare Service". The idea developed here is based on personal experiences and memories of the books she had read. The immediate incentive to write it was Konopnicka's direct observation of Swiss life. Since 1891 she often stayed in Switzerland. In one of her letters she criticized strongly some attitudes of its inhabitants, well-off, self--satisfied and content with their own way of life. She was shocked by the "levelling of all the classes without spiritual uplifting of any of them, the tyranny of democracy, of crudeness, of lack of culture, a certain superficial friendliness which does not make people closer to each other in their hearts, thoughts and spirit but creates an atmosphere in which an unembarrassed rudeness of manners may be easily displayed. (...) I dare say they are good people - she wrote - but how lonely a man feels among them if he does not own a silk-manufacture or a cheese shop!". Those reflections and comments gave rise to the idea further developed in the plot of her short story "Pages from Hottingen"." (from the Introduction by Justyna Leo)