Rostworowski had his first published work, a collection of decadent poems called
Tandeta, released in 1901 (or 1911, sources vary). In 1907–1909 he published a four-volume series:
Pre memoria,
Maya,
Ante lucis ortum, and
Saeculum solutum. He published his first dramas between 1908 and 1911, including
Żeglarze (Sailors, 1908),
Pod górę (Uphill, 1910), and
Echo (1911). He became famous locally for his play
Judasz z Kariothu (
Judas of
Kerioth, 1913), based on the
New Testament and staged with the actor
Ludwik Solski in the title role. His next widely discussed historical play, about the nature of tyranny, was
Kajus Cezar Kaligula (1917), also with Solski. In 1920 he published
Miłosierdzie (Mercy), and in 1922 the drama
Straszne dzieci (Hollow Children), followed by
Zmartwychwstanie (Resurrection, 1923) and
Antychryst (1925), but these were not as highly regarded as his first plays. He spoke out against totalitarianism in
Czerwony marsz (Red March, 1930), a
morality play on guillotines and rolling heads based on the French Revolution and the Terror.
Niespodzianka Rostworowski received rave reviews for his tragedy
Niespodzianka (Surprise, 1928–1929), about parents murdering for money their own son, who had emigrated to America and returned to visit them. The work was staged at the
Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in 1929, and in 1932 won the national book prize.
Niespodzianka was regarded as Rostworowski's most notable achievement by the Polish Nobel laureate
Czesław Miłosz. The novel tells an old story, first recorded around the 17th century. A peasant family in financial despair is visited by a well-dressed man asking for lodgings. They kill him in his sleep to steal his belongings, but subsequently discover that he was their own son. Both parents suffer psychologically, and the money is given to their younger son to pay for his education. Rostworowski died in 1938 in Kraków, and was buried at the
Salwator estate cemetery. ==References==