While in exile, he returned to literary pursuits, writing among other things, the play No Rescue (Bez ratunku) and the essay An Enquiry into Shakespeare’s Dramatic Art (Studia nad dramatycznością w utworach Szekspira). He also translated foreign literature into Polish, including the works of Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, and Charles Dickens.
In the summer of 1863, due to Evelina’s deteriorating health, the Korzeniowskis obtained permission from the authorities to relocate to Chernihiv. Within only two years, Evelina was to pass away from tuberculosis. In the wake of her death, Apollo’s health also took a rapid turn for the worse — he, too, was suffering from tuberculosis with additional weakening brought on by heart disease. Although increasingly frail, he continued to write. In the spring of 1866, he made the difficult decision to send his son to live with his brother-in-law, Tadeusz Bobrowski.
In December 1867, Apollo finally received permission to leave Russia. He went first to Lviv, eventually settling in Kraków with his son in the spring of 1869. There, already incredibly weakened and afflicted, he yet again recommenced his activities, establishing contact with the newly founded periodical Kraj, also hoping to continue his writing. He was still hopeful that he could overcome his illness — alas, it was not to be. He died on May 23, 1869, and was buried in the Rakowicki Cemetery.
His son, Konrad, was subsequently taken into the care of his grandmother, Teofila Bobrowska, with his uncle Tadeusz later taking up the responsibility. In 1873, the teenage boy returned to Kraków. He had already, for several years been an honorary citizen of the city — a title that had been granted to him in recognition of his father’s merits.