Henryk Sienkiewicz

Henryk Sienkiewicz is one of the most important and still one of the most popular Polish writers. He was a writer, novelist, publicist and active in the social and philanthropic fields.

He came from an impoverished rural family. He studied law and medicine at the Warsaw Secondary School, then moved to the Faculty of Philology and History. He traveled a lot, among other things, Europe, America and Africa.

Henryk Sienkiewicz was born on 5 May 1846 in Wola Okrzejska in Podlachia.

From 1855 he was in Warsaw, where he attended the Gymnasium and later studied at the Main School. In 1871, he dropped out of school without taking the final exam. From 1872 to 1887 he worked as a reporter and columnist for the Warsaw Press, and later became co-owner of the two-weekly Niwa.

From 1876 to 1878 he was the correspondent of Gazeta Polska in North America (particularly in California). Since 1881, he often traveled abroad to Italian, Austrian and French spas, due to his wife's poor health and later to his own health.

After twenty-five years of literary work, he became the most popular Polish writer. In recognition of his merits, the anniversary of Henryk Sienkiewicz's creative work was celebrated in 1900, and the Society gave him the estate in Oblęgorek near Kielce, where Sienkiewicz enjoyed spending the summer months since 1902. His international popularity is measured by the fact that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1905.

Henryk Sienkiewicz is the author of numerous short stories dealing with various problems. In them he described the dramatic fate of the village after the appropriation (coal sketches) and reflected on the upbringing of children in rural areas (Janko Musikant). He addressed the tragic, wasted life of Polish emigrants in America (Hinter Brot) and the longing for their homeland (Lighter). He also addressed the exotic problem of the extermination of the Indian tribe (Sachem) for the Polish reader at the time.

A characteristic feature of Sienkiewicz's creations was his interest in Poland's past. Like no other, he knew how to combine historical elements with literary fiction. His most famous historical novels are the Trilogy, Quo Vadis and the Crusaders. The trilogy consists of three works: Fire and Sword. The Flood and Mr. Wolodyjowski. Sienkiewicz used the history of the fatherland as a backdrop, which portrayed it as a strong state able to overcome all difficulties (Cossack wars, Swedish invasions and battles with Turkey). Such a recording was of great importance in times of conquest and contributed to the great popularity of the works among readers.

Similar motives ("to refresh the heart") guided the author when writing Teutonic Knights, a text based on the chronicles of Johannes Langesz and other historical documents. A perfectly sketched picture of medieval Poland (including a description of chivalry and a suggestive account of the Battle of Grunwald) was created from the time of the German Wars. The writer skilfully executed the plot, drawing expressive figures and showing the clever policies of Jagiela and the awakening of national consciousness in the Poles.

Sienkiewicz is also the author of the still popular youth novel "In the Desert and the Jungle". The vividly and entertainingly written play shows two children, a Polish boy and an English woman, travelling through Africa during the Mahdi uprising in Sudan.

Despite critical opinions, the works of Henryk Sienkiewicz still find interest among readers at home and abroad. Also worth mentioning are the film adaptations of works, in particular Teutonic Knights and Trilogy, which have gone down in the history of Polish cinema.