Maria Dąbrowska ([dɔmˈbrɔfska]; born Maria Szumska; 6 October 1889 – 19 May 1965) was a Polish writer, novelist, essayist, journalist and playwright,[1] author of the popular Polish historical novel Noce i dnie (Nights and Days) written between 1932 and 1934 in four separate volumes.

[3] Dąbrowska was born Maria Szumska in Russów near Kalisz, Congress Poland, under Tsarist military control.

In the interwar period, Dąbrowska worked temporarily in the Polish Ministry of Agriculture while venturing more and more into newspaper reporting and public life.

In her novels, plays and newspaper articles she analyzed the psychological consequences of hardship and life's traumas in the world of ordinary people.

Her second long-term partner was the 19-years-older Stanisław Stempowski, with whom she lived in a common-law marriage until the outbreak of World War II.

[2] Dąbrowska's parents, Josef Szumski and Ludomira (née Galczynska) wanted her to receive a thorough education, and sent her to private schools for much of her early life.

[5] When Dąbrowska first met her husband Marian Dąbrowski, he was a political refugee and an active member of the Polish Socialist Party.

This article was titled "Doroczny wstyd" ("The Yearly Disgrace"), and it spoke out against antisemitism in Polish universities and against the overpowered government.

She would write about the journeys of underprivileged, homeless, and landless protagonists; she would paint the picture of their lives authentically and with compassion.

In Przygody człowieka myślącego (Adventures of a Thinking Man), she transposed her own life experiences onto two characters: Ewa Radgoska and Józef Tomyski.