Ogniem i mieczem – With Fire and Sword

„Henryk Sienkiewicz: Ogniem i mieczem – With Fire and Sword książki Książka w dwóch wersjach językowych: polskiej i angielskiej. A dual Polish-English language edition. Ogniem i mieczem pierwsza z trzech powieści historycznych będących częścią Trylogii pisanej ku pokrzepieniu serc przez Henryka Sienkiewicza w latach 1884-1888. Akcja powieści rozgrywa się w latach 1648-1651 w okresie powstania Chmielnickiego na Ukrainie. W powieści przeplata się wątek walk polsko-kozackich z historią miłosną Jana Skrzetuskiego i Heleny Kurcewiczówny

With Fire and Sword (Polish: Ogniem i mieczem) is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, published in 1884. With Fire and Sword is a historical fiction novel, set in the 17th century in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. It was initially serialized in several Polish newspapers, chapters appearing in weekly instalments. It gained enormous popularity in Poland, and by the turn of the 20th century had become one of the most popular Polish books ever. It became obligatory reading in Polish schools, and has been translated into English and most European languages. The series was a vehicle for expressing Polish patriotism in a Poland partitioned and deprived of independence, while avoiding censorship by having a historical background concerning wars with past enemies other than the countries ruling parts of Poland at the time of writing (Russia, Germany and Austria). Despite some deviations, the book’s historical framework is genuine and the fictional story is woven into real events. Many characters are historical figures, including Jeremi Wiśniowiecki and Bohdan Khmelnytsky (Pol. Bohdan Chmielnicki). Sienkiewicz researched memoirs and chronicles of the Polish nobility, or the szlachta, for details on life in 17th-century Poland. The book was written, according to the author, „”to lift up the heart”” of the Polish nation in the unhappy period following the failed January Insurrection during the era of the partitions of Poland. Thus it often favors epic plots and heroic scenes over historical accuracy. Nonetheless, Sienkiewicz’s vivid language made it one of the most popular books about that particular place and era
(From English into Polish translated by Jeremiah Curtin)”