Maria Berkan-Jabłońska

Maria Berkan-Jabłońska is a Professor at the Department of Literary and Cultural Research within the Faculty of Philology at the University of Lodz. She has been employed at the university since 2005 and currently teaches Romantic literature, coordinates courses on 19th-century cultural contexts in Romanticism, and conducts research on women's writing, Polish Biedermeier, and 19th-century popular literature.

She obtained her doctorate in 2003 and habilitation in 2015. Her academic journey has been dedicated to exploring 19th-century Polish literature with particular focus on marginalized voices and cultural contexts. She is known for her archival research methods, often examining hundreds of pages of historical newspapers to uncover forgotten texts and perspectives.

Professor Berkan-Jabłońska's research interests center on 19th-century literature, especially women's writing traditions, Polish Biedermeier, and popular literature of the era. Her work frequently involves biographical and epistolary studies, revealing how historical contexts shape literary production. She has developed a specialized interest in crime fiction, examining it from both academic and contemporary perspectives.

Her scholarly output shows consistent focus on recovering women's voices from the Romantic period, with significant publications like Weredyczki, sawantki, marzycielki, damy… (2019) and Arystokratka i biedermeier (2015). Her work on crime fiction bridges historical and contemporary literary analysis, reflecting her dual interest in 19th-century literary forms and their modern manifestations.

Professor Berkan-Jabłońska is actively involved in academic service, including membership in the Adam Mickiewicz Literary Society and participation in organizing regional competitions for the Polish Language and Literature Olympiad. She also collaborates with cultural institutions such as the Polesie Art Center in Łódź, where she leads sessions at the Crime Fiction Festival.

Her teaching responsibilities include undergraduate and graduate seminars on Romantic literature, with particular expertise in Cyprian Norwid's works and the correspondence of arts. She maintains regular office hours for students at the Faculty of Polish Philology building, demonstrating her commitment to student mentorship and academic guidance.