'SZNUREK PEREL CZYLI ROMANSOWY CHINCZYK' - A MANUSCRIPTED SATIRICAL PERIODICAL FROM THE DUCHY OF WARSAW ('Sznurek Perel czyli Romansowy Chinczyk' - rekopismienna gazeta humorystyczna z czasow Ksiestwa Warszawskiego)

In 1811 Warsaw periodicals 'Gazeta Warszawska' (Warsaw Gazette) and 'Gazeta Korespondenta' (Correspondent's Gazette) no longer attracted public attention. Many readers viewed political news from relatively peaceful Europe as boring. They also lacked heated debates of theatre critics from previous years and simple entertainment, like rhyming riddles. In autumn that year a hand-written satirical periodical 'Sznurek Pereł czyli Romansowy ChiNczyk' (A String of Pearls or a Flirtatious Chinese) began circulating in Warsaw. Its author - an actor and playwright Alojzy Fortunat Gonzaga Zolkowski - mocked current European and local events, not refraining from frivolous and risky jokes. The article presents the full text of the only surviving copy of the gazette. Because Zolkowski's jokes are frequently difficult to understand for a contemporary reader, they are amended with comments and explanations. 'A String of Pearls...' did not only provide simple entertainment but also served well the purpose of propagating Napoleonic cause.