![Magdalena the Impostor, *On the Lips of Sin* [1922]](https://gcp-la8-storage-cdn.lot-art.com/public/upl/62/Magdalena-the-Impostor-On-the-Lips-of-Sin-1922_6ac0308e7f835-full-01315600_1790980240-6ac0309003377.jpg "Magdalena the Impostor, *On the Lips of Sin* [1922]")
Magdalena the Impostor, *On the Lips of Sin* [1922]
Title: On the Lips of Sin. A Novel Set in High Society.
Author: Magdalena Samozwaniec (1894–1972) [satirical writer, née Kossak, daughter of Wojciech Kossak, known as the “first lady of Polish satire”].
Publisher: Kraków, Published by the Kraków Publishing Company.
Year of publication: 1922.
Format: 22 cm.
Number of pages: 88.
Binding: original paperback cover, paper.
Magdalena Samozwaniec’s debut novel, a pure-nonsense parody of Helena Mniszkówna’s famous *Trędowata*, published in Kraków in 1922. According to family tradition, the title was given to her by Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, a friend of the author and her first husband, because Samozwaniec’s original idea was “Ospowata.” The book was written around 1919, and in 1922, with financial support from Wojciech Kossak’s father, the author published it at her own expense. It is often stated in literary sources that the text was (allegedly) written in collaboration with her sister Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and her husband Jan Gwalbert Pawlikowski. In 1922, the Krakow Publishing Company published the novel twice (first and second editions), and subsequent editions appeared in Warsaw through Wende (1925 and 1926), and after the war in Katowice. In 1931, Polish Radio broadcast an adaptation of the novel.
Magdalena Anna Samozwaniec was born on July 26, 1894, in Kraków, the daughter of painter Wojciech Kossak and Maria (née Kisielnicka), the granddaughter of Juliusz Kossak, sister of Jerzy Kossak and Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, and first cousin of Zofia Kossak. She was educated at home and was fluent in English, German, and French. From 1917 to 1919, she attended Maria Niedzielska’s School of Fine Arts for Women, and from 1919 to 1921, she ran a batik studio. Following the success of her debut, she contributed to *Cyrulik Warszawski*, *Bluszcz*, *Tygodnik Ilustrowany*, *Tęcza*, and *Naokoło Świata*, and after the war, for *Szpilki* and *Przekrój*. Her greatest success came with *Wielki szlem* (1933), after which she earned the title of “Poland’s only female satirist,” and in 1956 she published her fictionalized memoirs, *Maria i Magdalena*. She died on October 20, 1972, in Warsaw and was laid to rest at Powązki Cemetery.
Provenance: a piece without any ownership inscriptions, library stamps, or private marks.
An early edition of Magdalena Samozwaniec’s debut work, ideal for collectors of interwar literature, satire, and memorabilia related to the Kossak family. A cult parody of a salon romance from the early years of independence, in its original cover.
Clean piece; the block is loose, with a few sections coming apart. The paper is clean, with natural spots, discoloration, and soiling. Additionally, there is a loose title page with an artistic drawing. The paper publisher’s cover is in very good condition.
Catalog ID: 13266-22-A-X
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Title: On the Lips of Sin. A Novel Set in High Society.
Author: Magdalena Samozwaniec (1894–1972) [satirical writer, née Kossak, daughter of Wojciech Kossak, known as the “first lady of Polish satire”].
Publisher: Kraków, Published by the Kraków Publishing Company.
Year of publication: 1922.
Format: 22 cm.
Number of pages: 88.
Binding: original paperback cover, paper.
Magdalena Samozwaniec’s debut novel, a pure-nonsense parody of Helena Mniszkówna’s famous *Trędowata*, published in Kraków in 1922. According to family tradition, the title was given to her by Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, a friend of the author and her first husband, because Samozwaniec’s original idea was “Ospowata.” The book was written around 1919, and in 1922, with financial support from Wojciech Kossak’s father, the author published it at her own expense. It is often stated in literary sources that the text was (allegedly) written in collaboration with her sister Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and her husband Jan Gwalbert Pawlikowski. In 1922, the Krakow Publishing Company published the novel twice (first and second editions), and subsequent editions appeared in Warsaw through Wende (1925 and 1926), and after the war in Katowice. In 1931, Polish Radio broadcast an adaptation of the novel.
Magdalena Anna Samozwaniec was born on July 26, 1894, in Kraków, the daughter of painter Wojciech Kossak and Maria (née Kisielnicka), the granddaughter of Juliusz Kossak, sister of Jerzy Kossak and Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, and first cousin of Zofia Kossak. She was educated at home and was fluent in English, German, and French. From 1917 to 1919, she attended Maria Niedzielska’s School of Fine Arts for Women, and from 1919 to 1921, she ran a batik studio. Following the success of her debut, she contributed to *Cyrulik Warszawski*, *Bluszcz*, *Tygodnik Ilustrowany*, *Tęcza*, and *Naokoło Świata*, and after the war, for *Szpilki* and *Przekrój*. Her greatest success came with *Wielki szlem* (1933), after which she earned the title of “Poland’s only female satirist,” and in 1956 she published her fictionalized memoirs, *Maria i Magdalena*. She died on October 20, 1972, in Warsaw and was laid to rest at Powązki Cemetery.
Provenance: a piece without any ownership inscriptions, library stamps, or private marks.
An early edition of Magdalena Samozwaniec’s debut work, ideal for collectors of interwar literature, satire, and memorabilia related to the Kossak family. A cult parody of a salon romance from the early years of independence, in its original cover.
Clean piece; the block is loose, with a few sections coming apart. The paper is clean, with natural spots, discoloration, and soiling. Additionally, there is a loose title page with an artistic drawing. The paper publisher’s cover is in very good condition.
Catalog ID: 13266-22-A-X
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
