Henryk Sienkiewicz
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Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz, also known by the pseudonym Litwos, was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as the Trilogy series and especially for his int
Sienkiewicz, c. 1885
Monument atop Sienkiewicz Mound at Okrzeja. At left is the writer's family's village, Wola Okrzejska, where he was born.
Sienkiewicz in safari outfit, 1890s
Sienkiewicz with children, Oblęgorek, c. 1902
With Fire and Sword
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By Fire and Sword is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, published in 1884. It is the first volume of a series known to Poles as The Trilogy, followed by The Deluge and Fire in
Henryk Sienkiewicz
…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—With Fire and Sword, The Deluge, and Sir Michael—set in the 17th-century Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth; internationally he is known for Quo Vadis, set in Nero's Rome. The…
Title page of an 1885 edition
Henryk Sienkiewicz opens "With Fire and Sword" with a description of saigas as a way to highlight the otherworldly setting of the Pontic Steppe. By the time of his writing, these antelope were extinct in the lands of modern Poland.
Helena by Piotr Stachiewicz
Portrait of Bohdan Chmielnicki (c. 1650) in the District Museum in Tarnów.