Aleksander Fredro was a Polish count and writer born in 1793 in what is now Ukraine. He spent his early life in the military, fighting first for the Duchy of Warsaw and later for Napoleon. Fredro made his literary debut in 1817 writing social comedies about the Polish nobility that featured humor and characterization over Romantic themes. Some of his most famous comedies included Mr. Geldhab, Man and Wife, and Mr. Jovial. Fredro died in 1876 and there is now a monument dedicated to him in Wrocław, Poland.