A positive mecaenas or a negative mentor? : a survey of Tadeusz Bobrowski's character portraits

Abstract

"One of the most influential and authoritative persons in Conrad’s life (apart from his father) was his uncle Tadeusz Bobrowski - a lawyer, a justice of peace in Podolia (Ukraine). A highly controversial individual: portrayed by some relatives, historians and Conradians positively, by others - negatively. Each noteworthy biographer of Conrad devoted much attention to the description and analysis of his personality and character, beliefs and ideals. Those presentations varied, hence nowadays one faces a broad range of diverse assessments of the Bobrowski-Conrad relation. The aim of this article is twofold; firstly, to delineate how the evaluation of Bobrowski’s role in Conrad’s life changed from the partisan and hasty acclaim or downright condemnation to more balanced views considering both the advantageous and harmful aspects of the avuncular guidance. Secondly, to prove that the latest studies upgrading Bobrowski’s influence on his nephew seem to be, in my opinion, the least tendentious and biased, thus rendering the relationship most comprehensively." (fragm.)