Imagining Fame in Poland, 1750–1850

This article explores the evolution of fame discourse in Poland from 1750 to 1850, tracing its transition from traditional posthumous glorification to a nuanced understanding of contemporaneous recognition. As a response to the scholarship on the historical emergence of celebrity culture in Western Europe in the period, it highlights the correspondences between Polish and Western European discourses while noting the specificity of East Central European case. Drawing on a wide array of sources including academic texts, dictionaries, newspapers, and literature, the study explains how Polish discourse increasingly recognised celebrity as a distinct mode of public recognition. Despite the absence of a direct equivalent term, the Polish discussion on fame paralleled broader European discourse, notably regarding the democratisation of fame, its intersection with media, and its engagement with the audience.