Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Sienkiewicz | |
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Born | Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz 5 May 1846 Wola Okrzejska, Lublin Governorate, Congress Poland |
Died | 15 November 1916 Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland | (aged 70)
Occupation |
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Language | Polish |
Period | 19th–20th century |
Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Literature 1905 |
Signature | |
Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz (US: /ʃɛnˈkjeɪvɪtʃ, -jɛv-/ shen-KYAY-vitch, -KYEV-itch,[1][2][3] Polish: [ˈxɛnrɨk ˈadam alɛkˈsandɛr ˈpjus ɕɛnˈkʲɛvit͡ʂ]; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (Polish pronunciation: [ˈlitfɔs]), was an epic[4] Polish writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as the Trilogy series and especially for his internationally known best-seller Quo Vadis (1896).
Born into an impoverished Polish noble family in Russian-ruled Congress Poland, in the late 1860s he began publishing journalistic and literary pieces. In the late 1870s he traveled to the United States, sending back travel essays that won him popularity with Polish readers. In the 1880s he began serializing novels that further increased his popularity. He soon became one of the most popular Polish writers of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and numerous translations gained him international renown, culminating in his receipt of the 1905 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer."
Many of his novels remain in print. In Poland he is known for his "Trilogy" of historical novels –
Life
Early life
Sienkiewicz was born on 5 May 1846 in
Due to hard times, the 19-year-old Sienkiewicz took a job as tutor to the
In 1867 he wrote a rhymed piece, "Sielanka Młodości" ("Idyll of Youth"), which was rejected by Tygodnik Illustrowany (The Illustrated Weekly).[5] In 1869 he debuted as a journalist; Przegląd Tygodniowy (1866–1904) (The Weekly Review) ran his review of a play on 18 April 1869, and shortly afterward The Illustrated Weekly printed an essay of his about the late-Renaissance Polish poet Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński.[5] He completed his university studies in 1871, though he failed to receive a diploma because he did not pass the examination in Greek language.[5] Sienkiewicz also wrote for Gazeta Polska (The Polish Gazette) and Niwa (magazine), under the pen name "Litwos".[12] In 1873 he began writing a column, "Bez tytułu" ("Without a title"), in The Polish Gazette; in 1874 a column, "Sprawy bieżące" ("Current matters") for Niwa; and in 1875 the column, "Chwila obecna" ("The present moment").[12] He also collaborated on a Polish translation, published in 1874, of Victor Hugo's last novel, Ninety-Three.[12] In June that year he became co-owner of Niwa (in 1878, he would sell his share in the magazine).[12][13]
Meanwhile, in 1872, he had debuted as a fiction writer with his short novel Na marne (In Vain), published in the magazine Wieniec (Garland).
Travels abroad
In 1874 Henryk Sienkiewicz was briefly engaged to Maria Keller, and traveled abroad to
In America, he also continued writing fiction, in 1877 publishing Szkice węglem (Charcoal Sketches) in The Polish Gazette.[13] He wrote a play, Na przebój, soon retitled Na jedną kartę (On a Single Card), later staged at Lviv (1879) and, to better reception, at Warsaw (1881).[13] He also wrote a play for Modjeska, aimed at an American public, Z walki tutejszych partii (Partisan Struggles), but it was never performed or published, and the manuscript appears to be lost.[13]
On 24 March 1878 Sienkiewicz left the U.S. for Europe.[13] He first stayed in London, then for a year in Paris, delaying his return to Poland due to rumors of possible conscription into the Imperial Russian Army on the eve of a predicted new war with Turkey.[13]
Return to Poland
In April 1879 Sienkiewicz returned to Polish soil.[13] In Lviv (Lwów) he gave a lecture that was not well attended: "Z Nowego Jorku do Kalifornii" ("From New York to California").[13][16] Subsequent lectures in Szczawnica and Krynica in July–August that year, and in Warsaw and Poznań the following year, were much more successful.[13][17] In late summer 1879 he went to Venice and Rome, which he toured for the next few weeks, on 7 November 1879 returning to Warsaw.[13] There he met Maria Szetkiewicz, whom he married on 18 August 1881.[13] The marriage was reportedly a happy one.[17] The couple had two children, Henryk Józef (1882–1959) and Jadwiga Maria (1883–1969).[13] It was a short-lived marriage, however, because on 18 August 1885 Maria died of tuberculosis.[18]
In 1879 the first collected edition of Sienkiewicz's works was published, in four volumes; the series would continue until 1917, ending with a total of 17 volumes.[13] He also continued writing journalistic pieces, mainly in The Polish Gazette and Niwa.[13] In 1881 he published a favorable review of the first collected edition of works by Bolesław Prus.[17]
In 1880 Sienkiewicz wrote a historical novella, Niewola tatarska (Tartar Captivity).[13] In late 1881 he became editor-in-chief of a new Warsaw newspaper, Słowo (The Word).[17] This substantially improved his finances.[17] The year 1882 saw him heavily engaged in the running of the newspaper, in which he published a number of columns and short stories.[17] Soon, however, he lost interest in the journalistic aspect and decided to focus more on his literary work.[17] He paid less and less attention to his post of editor-in-chief, resigning it in 1887 but remaining editor of the paper's literary section until 1892.[18]
From 1883 he increasingly shifted his focus from short pieces to historical novels.
Sienkiewicz soon began writing the second volume of his Trilogy,
Sienkiewicz received 15,000 rubles, in recognition of his achievements, from an unknown admirer who signed himself "Michał Wołodyjowski" after the Trilogy character.[18] Sienkiewicz used the money to set up a fund, named for his wife and supervised by the Academy of Learning, to aid artists endangered by tuberculosis.[18]
In 1886, he visited
Later years
Sienkiewicz had several romances, and in 1892 Maria Romanowska-Wołodkowicz, stepdaughter of a wealthy Odesan, entered his life.[19] He and Romanowska became engaged there in 1893 and married in Kraków on 11 November.[19] Just two weeks later, however, his bride left him; Sienkiewicz blamed "in-law intrigues". On 13 December 1895 he obtained papal consent to dissolution of the marriage.[19] In 1904 he married his niece, Maria Babska.[19]
Sienkiewicz used his growing international fame to influence world opinion in favor of the Polish cause (throughout his life and since the late 18th century, Poland remained
Sienkiewicz maintained some ties with Polish right-wing
In February 1895 he wrote the first chapters of
In 1900, with a three-year delay due to the approaching centenary of
In 1905 he won a Nobel Prize for his lifetime achievements as an epic writer.[20][26][27] In his acceptance speech, he said this honor was of particular value to a son of Poland: "She was pronounced dead – yet here is proof that she lives on.... She was pronounced defeated – and here is proof that she is victorious."[28]
His social and political activities resulted in a diminished literary output.[21] He wrote a new historical novel, Na polu chwały (On the Field of Glory), that was meant as the beginning of a new trilogy; it was, however, criticized as being a lesser version of his original Trilogy, and was never continued.[21] Similarly, his contemporary novel Wiry (Whirlpools), 1910, which sought to criticize some of Sienkiewicz's political opponents, received a mostly polemical and politicized response.[29] His 1910 novel for young people, W pustyni i w puszczy (In Desert and Wilderness), serialized in Kurier Warszawski (The Warsaw Courier), finishing in 1911, was much better received and became widely popular among children and young adults.[29]
After the outbreak of
Death
Sienkiewicz died on 15 November 1916, at the Grand Hotel du Lac in
In 1924, after Poland had regained her independence, Sienkiewicz's remains were repatriated to Warsaw, Poland, and placed in the crypt of St. John's Cathedral.[30] During the coffin's transit, solemn memorial ceremonies were held in a number of cities.[30] Thousands accompanied the coffin to its Warsaw resting place, and Poland's President Stanisław Wojciechowski delivered a eulogy.[30]
Works
His first work, called "Victim", has been worked on between 1865-1866, and is only known because of a letter, where he told to his friend, that he burned the book, simply because he wasn't satisfied with it. Sienkiewicz's early works (e.g., the 1872 Humoreski z teki Woroszyłły) show him a strong supporter of
His "Latarnik" ("The Lighthouse keeper", 1881) has been described as one of the best Polish short stories.[13] His 1882 stories "Bartek Zwycięzca" ("Bart the Conqueror") and "Sachem" draw parallels between the tragic fates of their heroes and that of the occupied Polish nation.[17]
His novel With Fire and Sword (1883–84) was enthusiastically received by readers (as were the next two volumes of The Trilogy), becoming an "instant classic", though critical reception was lukewarm.[17][18][22][31] The Trilogy is set in 17th-century Poland.[22] While critics generally praised its style, they noted that some historic facts are misrepresented or distorted.[17][18][31] The Trilogy merged elements of the epic and the historical novel, infused with special features of Sienkiewicz's style.[18] The Trilogy's patriotism worried the censors; Warsaw's Russian censor I. Jankul warned Sienkiewicz that he would not allow publication of any further works of his dealing with Polish history.[19]
Sienkiewicz's
These views informed his novel
His
It is often incorrectly asserted that Sienkiewicz received his Nobel Prize for Quo Vadis.[26][27] While Quo Vadis is the novel that brought him international fame,[34] the Nobel Prize does not name any particular novel, instead citing "his outstanding merits as an epic writer".[35]
Sienkiewicz often carried out substantial historic research for his novels, but he was selective in the findings that made it into the novels. Thus, for example, he prioritized Polish military victories over defeats.[18]
Sienkiewicz kept a diary, but it has been lost.[29] A life of him written in English by Monica M. Gardner was published in 1926.
Recognition
About the turn of the 20th century, Sienkiewicz was the most popular writer in Poland, and one of the most popular in Germany, France, Russia, and the English-speaking world.
Already in his lifetime his works were adapted for theatrical, operatic and musical presentations and for the emerging film industry.[24][30] Writers and poets devoted works to him, or used him or his works as inspiration.[20] Painters created works inspired by Sienkiewicz's novels, and their works were gathered in Sienkiewicz-themed albums and exhibitions.[24] The names of his characters were given to a variety of products.[24] The popularity of Quo Vadis in France, where it was the best-selling book of 1900, is shown by the fact that horses competing in a Grand Prix de Paris event were named for characters in the book.[36] In the United States, Quo Vadis sold 800,000 copies in eighteen months.[32] To avoid intrusive journalists and fans, Sienkiewicz sometimes traveled incognito.[24]
He was inducted into many international organizations and societies, including the Polish
Named for Sienkiewicz, in Poland, are numerous streets and squares (the first street to bear his name was in Lwów, in 1907).
There are three museums dedicated to him in Poland.[30] The first, the Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum in Oblęgorek (his residence), opened in 1958.[40] The second, founded in 1966, is in his birthplace: the Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum in Wola Okrzejska.[41] The third opened in 1978 at Poznań.[30]
In
Outside Poland, Sienkiewicz's popularity declined beginning in the
The first critical analyses of his works were published in his lifetime.
Selected works
Novels
- The Trilogy (Trylogia):
- With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i mieczem, 1884) depicts the 17th-century Khmelnytsky Uprising of Ukraine's Cossacks against Poland; the novel has been made into a feature film of the same title and inspired the video game Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword.
- the "Deluge"; the novel has been made into a feature filmof the same title;
- Sir Michael (Pan Wołodyjowski, 1888) depicts Poland's struggle against the Ottoman Empire, invading Poland in 1668–72; the novel has been made into a feature film, Colonel Wołodyjowski.
- Without dogma(Bez dogmatu, 1891).
- The Polaniecki Family, a.k.a. Children of the Soil (Rodzina Połanieckich, 1894).
- St. Peter in Rome in the reign of Emperor Nero.
- a 1960 feature film of the same title, by Aleksander Ford.
- On the Field of Glory (Na polu chwały, 1906): a story of King John III Sobieski and the Battle of Vienna.
- Whirlpool (novel) (Wiry, 1910).
- In Desert and Wilderness (W pustyni i w puszczy, 1912): the adventures of a Polish boy, Staś, and a younger English girl, Nell, in Africa during the Mahdist War of 1881–99.
Other
- Yanko the Musician and other stories (1893)
- Lillian Morris and other stories (1894)
- Hania and other stories (1897)
- Let Us Follow Him and other stories (1897, unauthorized)
- Sielanka, a forest picture, and other stories (1898)
- On the Bright Shore (1898)
- In Vain (1899)
- Life and Death and other legends and stories (1904)
- So Runs the World (criticism, a story, and two short dramas, "Whose Fault?" and "Win or Lose")
Filmography
- Quo Vadis (dir. Enrico Guazzoni, 1913)
- Obrona Częstochowy (dir. Edward Puchalski, 1913)
- Quo Vadis (dir. Gabriellino D'Annunzio and Georg Jacoby, 1924)
- Quo Vadis (dir. Mervyn LeRoy, 1951)
- Szkice węglem (dir. Antoni Bohdziewicz, 1957)
- Knights of the Teutonic Order (dir. Aleksander Ford, 1960)
- Invasion 1700 (dir. Fernando Cerchio, 1962)
- Colonel Wolodyjowski (dir. Jerzy Hoffman, 1969)
- In Desert and Wilderness (dir. Władysław Ślesicki, 1973)
- The Deluge (dir. Jerzy Hoffman, 1974)
- Quo Vadis (TV miniseries, dir. Franco Rossi, 1985)
- With Fire and Sword (dir. Jerzy Hoffman, 1999)
- In Desert and Wilderness (dir. Gavin Hood, 2001)
- Quo Vadis (dir. Jerzy Kawalerowicz, 2001)
See also
- Onufry Zagłoba
- Polish literature
- List of Poles
- List of Polish Nobel laureates
References
- ^ "Sienkiewicz". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Sienkiewicz". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Sienkiewicz". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1905". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
an epic writer
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 203.
- ^ ISBN 978-963-7326-64-6. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- JSTOR 27533215.
- ^ Andrzej Kulikowski. Heraldyka szlachecka. 1990. p. 89. Quote: "Rodzina Sienkiewiczów vel Sieńkiewiczów wywodzi się z tatarów zawołżańskich, zapisani do tzw. Chorągwi juszyńskiej – były to dolne szczeble w drabinie hierarchicznej utytułowanych rodów tatarskich. Według dokumentu wydanego w Radomiu 6 lutego 1782 protoplastą tej rodziny był Piotr Oszyk Sienkiewicz."
- ^ Jan Ciechanowicz. Rody rycerskie Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego. 2001. p. 72. Quote: "Sienkiewicz herbu Oszyk, 1775 nobilitowany: Sienkiewicze trockie, podolskie, Królestwo Polskie. Gałąź rodziny tatarskiej osiadłej na Litwie, przyjęła chrzest i uzyskała nobilitację z herbem Oszyk w osobie Michała Sienkiewicza. Z tej rodziny: Henryk 1847–1916, powieściopisarz"
- ^ Stefan Majchrowski (1966). Pan Sienkiewicz. Ludowa Spóldzielnia Wydawnicza. p. 456. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ Władysław Studencki (1967). Szkice literackie: wielcy i mali. pp. 66–67. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 204.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 205.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-85660-87-3. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ISBN 978-83-85496-39-7. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ Janina Kulczycka-Saloni (1960). Henryk Sienkiewicz. Państwowe Zakłady Wydawnictw Szkolnych. p. 19. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 206.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 207.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 208.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 210.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 212.
- ^ ISBN 978-963-7326-64-6. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 211.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 209.
- ^ Wychowanie przedszkolne w Polsce w latach 1918–1939 (Pre-school Education in Poland in 1918–1939). Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. 1967. p. 129. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ a b Polish American Studies. Polish-American Historical Association. 2005. p. 76. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ^ a b Sylwia Wilczak. "Quo Vadis Noblowska Pomyłka". Archiwum.wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1983. Lech Wałęsa. Acceptance Speech". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 213.
- ^ Polski słownik biograficzny, vol. XXXVII, 1997, p. 214.
- ^ ISBN 978-963-7326-64-6. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8108-7283-7. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-963-7326-64-6. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-89526-345-2. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1905". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ^ Janina Kulczycka-Saloni (1966). Henryk Sienkiewicz: Materiały zebrała i wstępem opatrzyła Janina Kulczycka-Saloni. Państwowe Zakłady Wydawnictw Szkołnych. p. 67. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Nomination Database". Nobelprize.org. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ C.D. af Wirsén (1905). "Award Ceremony Speech". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ See Wikimedia Commons 26 March 2012 photo by user:Muhammad: [File:Sienkiewicz in rome.JPG].
- ^ Producer – strony www, cms, social media, producer.pl. "Muzeum Narodowe w Kielcach". Sienkiewicz.mnki.pl. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Muzeum Henryka Sienkiewicza w Woli Okrzejskiej". Muzeum Sienkiewicza.pl. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ISBN 9780857282279.
External links
- List of works
- Works by Henryk Sienkiewicz in eBook form at Standard Ebooks
- Works by Henryk Sienkiewicz at Project Gutenberg
- Works by Henryk Sienkiewicz at Faded Page (Canada)
- Works by or about Henryk Sienkiewicz at Internet Archive
- Henryk Sienkiewicz Books Collection
- Works by Henryk Sienkiewicz at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Works by Henryk Sienkiewicz at Open Library
- Works of Henryk Sienkiewicz at Polish Wikisource (in Polish)
- Biography at the Polish American Center
- Henryk Sienkiewicz at poezja.org (polish)
- the Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum in Oblegorek
- Henryk Sienkiewicz at culture.pl
- Henryk Sienkiewicz on Nobelprize.org
- 4 Polish Writers Who Won the Nobel Prize in Literature
- Newspaper clippings about Henryk Sienkiewicz in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW