To the group of the 'Whites' belonged the family Bobrowski, an old Polish noble family as well. Apollo Korzeniowski was in love with Eva Bobrowska (born in 1831) since many years. Especially the father of Eva was not very happy with the relationship, because he believed the relationship between his daughter and a 'Red' would bring no luck to her. It should turn out that he was right with his opinion. (The Bobrowski-family also believed Apollo was actually 'doing nothing'). Apollo Korzeniowski had worked as an estate agent, but didn't have much success in doing this. He was fascinated by literature, languages and his affection belonged to his Polish homeland and fellow citizens. He was widely known as a translator of works of Flaubert, Hugo, Alfred de Vigny, but also of Shakespeare plays. Joseph Conrad remembered later that he had become familiar with literature because of the literary ambitions of his father. At the age of ten he had read some of the translations his father had written. A first step in the direction to his later activity as a writer ? In his autobiography 'A Personal Record' he wrote:

'At ten years of age I had read much of Victor Hugo and other romantics. I had read in Polish and in French, history, voyages, novels; I knew "Gil Blas" and "Don Quixote" in abridged editions; I had read in early boyhood Polish poets and some French poets, but I cannot say what I read on the evening before I began to write myself. I believe it was a novel, and it is quite possible that it was one of Anthony Trollope's novels. '

Besides translations Apollo Korzeniowski also wrote works of his own, political articles, tales and poems. 1854 he wrote the drama 'Comedy' (which was premiered almost 100 years later in 1952) and 1858 the play 'For a Pretty Penny'. One of his poems speaks a clear language regarding his political conviction:

'May cowards tremble at lofty waves,

To you they bring good fortune.

You know the hidden reefs,

And are familiar with the tempests.'