Obsession with Death in the Works of August Antoni Jakubowski and Heinrich von Kleist

The aim of this paper is to show the work of two romantic authors, namely Heinrich von Kleist and
August Antoni Jakubowski. They were not only fascinated by death, but they also died at a young age. By
analyzing their biographies, poetry and letters I will present utterly different perceptions of death. Kleist,
for instance, longed for it like the sick long for a cure. He perceived death as the beginning of a big
adventure, in which he was to be accompanied by Henrietta. They found common ground thanks to
a paradoxical decision of dying, not living, together. In addition, I will also discuss the less known work
of Jakubowski, the illegitimate son of Antoni Malczewski. He committed suicide at the age of 21, while
being on exile in America, right after the November Uprising. Furthermore, I will touch upon his autobiographical
poems, in which one can notice his maturation towards death as liberation from a foreign
world, without hope of coming back to his homeland. This poetry is a testimony of growing depression
and misery, while the motif of death becomes the author’s obsession.