Xavras Wyżryn
OCLC 39273390 | | |
Xavras Wyżryn
The story's
In 1996, a young American reporter, Ian Smith, is sent by his news network to the
Editions
The story has had two editions. It was first published in 1997, in a book entitled Xavras Wyżryn, which contained the title story with a second one, "Zanim Noc" ("Before the Night").
In 2004, the story was reprinted in Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe (Xavras Wyżryn and Other National Fictions) and was this time accompanied by the following three short stories: "Sprawa Rudryka Z." ("The Case of Rudryk Z."), "Przyjaciel prawdy" ("Friend of the Truth") and "Gotyk" ("Gothic").
Summary
Backstory
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After
The increased power of the Soviet Union and the Republic of China meant that the League of Nations soon signed treaties with the Soviets that allowed them to annex Poland. Meanwhile, another power rose in the south since the followers of Islam created a huge empire in the Middle East. The United States was far enough to ignore European problems but supported those armies conflict with the Soviet forces. Those conflicts were relatively minor and were mostly only "border engagements", as the media called them.
In 1935, however, the "Great Bolshevik War" had the Soviets attempt to take control over
The Bolshevik War ended with the Treaties of Berlin, which were signed on Prussian territory. The Soviet Union and the League of Nations agreed to stop the bloodshed. Still, the countries taken by force in 1920 remained Soviet republics.
After Stalin's death at the end of 1981, the Soviet regime in Poland eased up slightly, but the Soviets still maintained a huge garrison force there since they remembered all the
The
Main plot
The plot of the novel starts in 1996. The whole European War Zone is no man's land, and its Soviet control is based on a strategy of "shoot first, ask questions later". Various partisan groups in an uneasy truce one another are scattered throughout the area and engaged in battles against small Soviet garrisons. German troops make occasional raids across the Polish border to test Soviet defences, and the Soviets retaliate in kind. Meanwhile, China's forces advance toward the Ural Mountains, and Muhammad's Son prepares a jihad in the Middle East. The US government secretly finances the guerrillas, and Western Europe fortifies its borders to defend against presumed Soviet or a Chinese attack, the latter of which is more feared.
Main characters
- Colonel Xavras Wyżryn is the commander of the AWP or Armia Wyzwolenia Polski (Polish Liberation Army), a considerable guerrilla force fighting the Soviet army in the European War Zone. His past is a mystery. He was born within the "Atomic Triangle" and has a visible mutation - the skin on his hands is red, as if burned. He was a junior officer in the Red Army, until he deserted and formed the AWP. He is a truly charismatic leader, inspiring his men to do unbelievable things, even sacrificing their lives for the "higher cause". For the freedom of his country he is capable of killing everyone standing in his way, including women, children and even his own men, calling this a "sacrifice for a better future". He is seen as a terrorist by the Soviets and as a romantic, tragic hero in the West. In the United States, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has even made a blockbuster movie about him, entitled "Uncatchable". A major US news network signed a contract with Wyżryn, offering him $250 million for exclusive interviews and footage from battlefields. Xavras understands the importance of media and propaganda in modern warfare, so he censors the footage before it is sent to the network and makes himself a television celebrity.
- Ian Smith - US news reporter sent by the network to film Xavras' actions. Because of his Polish descent and linguistic abilities, he is the network's natural choice after the previous reporter attached to Wyżryn was killed in action. Raised in a democratic country, he has moral doubts about Xavras and considers his brutal methods no better than the Soviet ones. The story is told from his point of view.
- Jewriej (English: Yevrey) - Xavras' mysterious aide and advisor, with his face hidden behind a Balaclava, because of his alleged disfigurement, the result of mutation. It is said that radiation gave him precognition abilities and that Xavras is using them to escape Russian ambushes and to plan his actions.
- Sienkiewicz's Triple - Three trusted companions of Xavras, who took their names (Michał, Andrzej and Jan) after the characters from the books of Henryk Sienkiewicz. Their missions are mostly undercover and they can almost literally disappear. It is they who lead Smith to Xavras' hideout.
- Two Bodyguards - Xavras' guards, which are named by Ian after the biblicalquotes printed on their T-shirts, because he does not know their real names and they look like twin brothers: "Another Horse Came Out, a Fiery Red One" (Revelation 6:4) and "The Sea Gave Up the Dead" (Revelation 20:13). Their fighting skills are exceptional and they are Xavras' most trusted soldiers.
Analysis
One of the author's inspirations was the
The main character of the novel, Xavras Wyżryn, is a character referring to Polish 19th-century romantic national liberation traditions, but at the same time, a terrorist using nuclear weapons, described as "the ayatollah of [...] Catholic jihad".[1][3]
Critics debate whether the story is patriotic or antipatriotic. As in the Chechen conflict, neither side holds a moral high ground since both commit horrible
References
- ^ ISSN 0033-2194.
- ^ ISSN 0084-4446.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-226-2028-1.
- ISSN 2353-5164.
- ^ Orliński, Wojciech (2001-10-26). "Władza leży między". wyborcza.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-08-02.
External links
- "Stronice Dukaja" - Jacek Dukaj's official website, English version