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Zenon
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Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Replies: 1515
Location: Poland

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Post Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:41 am      Post subject: With Fire and Sword, cult novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz
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With Fire and Sword (In Polish: Ogniem i Mieczem) is the first volume of a cult historical fiction novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. The next two volumes were: The Deluge (Potop) and Fire in the Steppe, also translated as Colonel Wolodyjowski (Pan Wołodyjowski).

Henryk Sienkiewicz received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his other historical novel 'Quo Vadis, A Narrative of the Time of Nero'.

More about the book and movie you will find here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_Fire_and_Sword , and about the author here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henryk_Sienkieicz

In 1999 director Jerzy Hoffman shot film version of the novel. At that time it was the most expensive Polish film ever made.

Here you can watch scenes from the episode presenting Battle of Yellow Rivers 1648 with Polish Husaria participation.


[html-link]



I have also found for you free English edition of the first 32 chapters of the novel online: http://chirhobooks.com/chi-rho/read_main.asp

Many of you I know have already read the book or seen the movie. For those who didn't and want to learn a little more about history of Poland, I recommend it wholeheartedly. This will be not only very informative exercise but also fascinating journey into the past, into the 17th century Poland.


Last edited by Zenon on Fri Oct 29, 2010 2:12 am; edited 1 time in total
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patricia39



Joined: 29 Oct 2010
Replies: 1

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Post Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 1:54 am      Post subject:
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Despite the fact that it is historically inaccurate for the Polish, the content is still captivating. I should say that this is really a good book to be read by all voracious readers. Just make a glance on it and I am sure you won't drop the book until you are finished with it.
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misfitacres



Joined: 18 Feb 2010
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Post Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:06 pm      Post subject:
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I just finished reading H. Sienkiewicz 's trilogy "With Fire and Sword", "The Deluge "volume I and II and " Fire in the Steppe". After reading this massive work it is easy to understand why Sienkiewicz won the Nobel Prize for Literature. I can't judge the historical accuracy of these works but they were a fabulous read. I found it very difficult to put the books down and had a few very short nights as I had to stay up to read just one more chapter.

Just starting to read "Galician Trails" byAndrew Zalewski. My mother's family was from Galicia and it is my favorite area of Poland.
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Henryk
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Joined: 05 Dec 2008
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Location: London ON, Canada

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Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:36 pm      Post subject:
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The success of the modern English translation is due to its translator W S Kuniczak. The previous translator Curtis translated from the Russian translation, and it was a poor effort. Kuniczak was also a great author, writing his own trilogy. I recommend reading his books.
http://www.polishcenterofcleveland.org/the-tragedy-of-w-s-kuniczak/
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The Tragedy of W. S. Kuniczak


Wieslaw S. Kuniczak, born in Lwow in 1930, died on September 20 at Quakertown Hospital near Philadelphia at the age of seventy. We may be to close to his death to sum up his literary heritage. (…) His opus magnum is monumental trilogy consisting of The Thousand Hour Day, The March and Valedictory. The initial volume was published in 1966, and it almost immediately appeared on the Book of the Month Club list. (…)

Putting it in a nutshell, The Thousand Hour Day portrays a tragedy of the Polish nation, when in September 1939, its army faced and was defeated by the best equipped military machine of the modern times, that of Nazi Germany. (…)
Its sequel, The March, published by Doubleday in 1979, deals with the drama of the Polish nation after the September campaign. The action is diffused over the years following the invasion of Poland by the Germans from the west and the Russians from the east. The novel concentrates on the drama resulting from the Soviet’s brutal overrunning of the eastern part of the country, which proved tantamount to the cruelest invasion.

The author focuses on a small number of protagonists such as Abel Abramowski, a young poet whose love for Catherine is reflected in the broken mirror of the war years. Tarski, a professional officer, epitomizes the manner in which the Soviets treat Poles, perishing in the Katyn Forest, where many thousands of Polish officers were massacred in one of the most haunting crimes of World War II. (…)

The final book of trilogy, Valedictory, is a heartrending cry of pain and anguish masterfully put into words. Its massage is that Poland has been betrayed. After the heroic performance of Squadron 303. which tipped the scale in favor of the British in the Bottle of Britain, and equally faithful service by Polish airman, soldiers and sailors on every battlefront in Europe an Africa, Poland was handed over to Stalin on a silver platter by Roosevelt and Churchill. (…) Valedictory is not only a great and moving novel, it also stands as a document of very special significance. (…)

When he turned to rendering Henryk Sienkiewicz’s trilogy into English, Kuniczak proved, if proof was needed, that a great writer may also excel in the art of translation. In 1991, his translation of Ogniem i Mieczem appeared under the title, With Fire and Sword. (…) The same year(…) he published Sienkiewicz’s two-volume Potop under the title, The Deluge. (…) Pan Wolodyjowski, saw the light of day as Fire in the Steppe. (…) The undersigned was the author of the introduction. (…)

Wieslaw S. Kuniczak, born in Lwow in 1930, died on September 20 at Quakertown Hospital near Philadelphia at the age of seventy. We may be to close to his death to sum up his literary heritage. (…) His opus magnum is monumental trilogy consisting of The Thousand Hour Day, The March and Valedictory. The initial volume was published in 1966, and it almost immediately appeared on the Book of the Month Club list. (…)

Putting it in a nutshell, The Thousand Hour Day portrays a tragedy of the Polish nation, when in September 1939, its army faced and was defeated by the best equipped military machine of the modern times, that of Nazi Germany. (…)
Its sequel, The March, published by Doubleday in 1979, deals with the drama of the Polish nation after the September campaign. The action is diffused over the years following the invasion of Poland by the Germans from the west and the Russians from the east. The novel concentrates on the drama resulting from the Soviet’s brutal overrunning of the eastern part of the country, which proved tantamount to the cruelest invasion.

The author focuses on a small number of protagonists such as Abel Abramowski, a young poet whose love for Catherine is reflected in the broken mirror of the war years. Tarski, a professional officer, epitomizes the manner in which the Soviets treat Poles, perishing in the Katyn Forest, where many thousands of Polish officers were massacred in one of the most haunting crimes of World War II. (…)

The final book of trilogy, Valedictory, is a heartrending cry of pain and anguish masterfully put into words. Its massage is that Poland has been betrayed. After the heroic performance of Squadron 303. which tipped the scale in favor of the British in the Bottle of Britain, and equally faithful service by Polish airman, soldiers and sailors on every battlefront in Europe an Africa, Poland was handed over to Stalin on a silver platter by Roosevelt and Churchill. (…) Valedictory is not only a great and moving novel, it also stands as a document of very special significance. (…)

When he turned to rendering Henryk Sienkiewicz’s trilogy into English, Kuniczak proved, if proof was needed, that a great writer may also excel in the art of translation. In 1991, his translation of Ogniem i Mieczem appeared under the title, With Fire and Sword. (…) The same year(…) he published Sienkiewicz’s two-volume Potop under the title, The Deluge. (…) Pan Wolodyjowski, saw the light of day as Fire in the Steppe. (…) The undersigned was the author of the introduction. (…)

Jerzy Maciuszko

Forum, 3/2004
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