Published on the first of January, 1884, "Mold of the Earth" is considered a micro story because of its short length. The story was first published in the Warsaw Courier in a special New Year's Day edition. Boleslaw Prus, the author, wrote the story during a time when there were some severe political problems in Poland, his home country. These upsets likely contributed to the dark mood of the story.
Boleslaw Prus is a very important and influential Polish writer. Born on August 20, 1847, he has written 8 novels and many short stories that are included in this book. Many of the the tragic events in his lifetime fueled the way he wrote. He died on May 19, 1912 in Warsaw, Russian Poland.
