{"id":23,"date":"2008-06-18T01:08:10","date_gmt":"2008-06-18T05:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/?p=23"},"modified":"2008-06-18T01:08:10","modified_gmt":"2008-06-18T05:08:10","slug":"henryk-sienkiewicz-required-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/henryk-sienkiewicz-required-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Henryk Sienkiewicz – Required Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Lately I have been hearing a lot about what it means to be Polish. It seems to be a trendy discussion topic, both among my countrymen and foreign expats living in Poland. And while neither side can agree on what exactly characterizes a typical Pole, they are both of the same opinion when it comes to pride. Polish people are fiercely proud of being Polish. We\u2019re proud of our history, culture, language, food, music, country, weather, alcoholic beverages and everything in between. Where that pride comes from, I\u2019m not really sure. But in order to try to understand what it means, you need to take a closer look at the thick volumes of Henryk Sienkiewicz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You might have heard of him, he\u2019s the guy who wrote \u201cQuo Vadis\u201d<\/em>. Yep, the same \u201cQuo Vadis\u201d<\/em> that in the 1950s was adapted into a movie with Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov and a whole bunch of other stars. Actually, \u201cQuo Vadis\u201d<\/em> has been turned into several film versions, including a couple of silent ones, in addition to just about everything else \u2013 stage plays, TV miniseries, and even an opera.<\/p>\n

This book has definitely contributed to Mr. Sienkiewicz<\/strong>\u2019s Nobel Prize for literature in 1905, which he got for his \u201coutstanding merits as an epic writer\u201d. There are other Poles that also got the prize \u2013 W\u0142adys\u0142aw Reymont<\/strong> in 1924, Czes\u0142aw Mi\u0142osz<\/strong> in 1980 and Wis\u0142awa Szymborska<\/strong> in 1996, but we\u2019ll talk about them another time.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I have to admit, I was never a fan of Sienkiewicz<\/strong>. Unfortunately, my mother was, and as such, I was exposed to his works through osmosis. And his works were indeed ginormous. The dude specialized in historical fiction and liked his stories in threes. Actually, his crown achievement (other than \u201cQuo Vadis\u201d<\/em> naturally) is known as The Trilogy<\/em> (Trylogia<\/strong> in Polish)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The first book in The Trilogy<\/em>, \u201cWith Fire and Sword\u201d<\/em> (in Polish \u201cOgniem i mieczem\u201d<\/em><\/strong>) is set in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 17th century, and the historical events it mentions are real. However, the main plot and characters in the story are fictitious. The book became a megahit in Poland when it was first released, and is the most beloved Polish novel of all times. It\u2019s a tale of war and love and murders and passion and betrayal, and has been compared to a Polish-Ukrainian \u201cGone With The Wind”.<\/em><\/p>\n

I must admit that as a high school student I found the book mind-boggingly boring. It was only after watching the 1999 film version by Jerzy Hoffman, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I should revisit the original work. I did, and it wasn\u2019t half as bad as I remembered it from school. You can find the English version on-line here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The other books in The Trilogy<\/em> \u2013 \u201cThe Deluge\u201d<\/em> (\u201cPotop\u201d<\/em><\/strong> in Polish, about the Swedish invasion on Poland) and \u201cFire in the Steppe\u201d<\/em> (\u201cPan Wo\u0142odyjowski\u201d<\/em><\/strong> in Polish, about wars with Turkey) were popular as well, but never reached the level of \u201cWith Fire and Sword\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n

My personal favorite is \u201cFire in the Steppe\u201d<\/em>, also known under the alternate title of \u201cColonel Wo\u0142odyjowski\u201d<\/em>. Why I liked it? The TV mini-series starred Daniel Olbrychski<\/strong> as Azja Tuchaj-bejowicz<\/strong>. Azja was my favorite character (no doubt thanks to the outstanding acting skills of Mr. Olbrychski<\/strong>), and I remember crying into the pillow when he was getting impaled. (Hey! It\u2019s a historical novel full of gory historical details! People did die in some pretty terrible ways back then.)<\/p>\n

Now, as an adult, I understand the scope and vision of Mr. Sienkiewicz<\/strong>\u2019s works much better. He wrote the novels during the time when Poland didn\u2019t officially exist. By describing the glory days of a once powerful nation, he provided a glimmer of hope for the future. And nobody can make you feel as proud of being Polish as Henryk Sienkiewicz<\/strong>. And that\u2019s a fact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Lately I have been hearing a lot about what it means to be Polish. It seems to be a trendy discussion topic, both among my countrymen and foreign expats living in Poland. And while neither side can agree on what exactly characterizes a typical Pole, they are both of the same opinion when it comes…<\/p>\n

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