Ognjem i mačem

Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846–1916), a Polish Nobel laureate (1905), wrote With Fire and Sword as the first part of a great trilogy about the 17th century. The novel was published in 1884 and immediately became a huge success, one of the most widely read works of Polish literature.

The plot is set in the turbulent period of the Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648–1651), when the Zaporozhian Cossacks led by Bogdan Khmelnytsky rose up against Poland. Sienkiewicz depicts dramatic events through the fate of a young hussar lieutenant, Jan Skrzetuski, who falls in love with the beautiful Helena Kurcewiczówna. Their love story is intertwined with major historical events: sieges, battles (Yellow Water, Kruta Water, Berestechko), wild Tatar attacks and Cossack uprisings.

The novel is rich in colorful characters: the noble Skrzetuski, the giant soldier Zagłoba (one of the most successful comic characters in Polish literature), the brave Podbipięta, and on the other hand the powerful Khmelnytsky and the bloodthirsty Bohun.

Sienkiewicz writes in the spirit of Walter Scott's tradition, but with a distinct Polish national pathos. He idealizes the Polish nobility, the Catholic faith and heroism, while depicting the Cossacks and Tatars in more dark colors. The style is dynamic, full of action, battles, love and heroic feats, which made the novel extremely popular.

In the Croatian translation in the edition Knjižnica dobrych romana it was one of the most beloved historical novels of the interwar period. The work strongly influenced the Polish national identity and is still considered a classic of adventure-historical prose.

With Fire and Sword is still an exciting read today, combining epic breadth, romantic love and bloody history of the 17th century. It is followed by The Flood and Lord Volodymyr.