Two days ago I have finished to read the first part of Henryk Sienkiewicz fictional trilogy (With Fire and Sword) about Poland's history in the seventeenth century. The story is followed by a second part (The Deluge) and a third one (Pan Michael).
Sienkiewicz was a very celebrated and considered writer not only in his homeland, Poland, but also abroad. His enthusiasm for History in general, and for Poland old days, in particular made him, if not a prolific writer, a very well-known one. He wrote some novels and other short stories that were later translated for several idioms.
With Fire and Sword tells the story, based on real facts, of the cossack uprising against Polish-Lithuanian nobility, wich held the power through land and collection of fees on Ukrainian peasants. While some characters in the plot actually existed in the event's times, many were created to give the story a dynamic plot. Jan Skrzetuski, for example, is fictional. The same goes with Zagloba and Podbipieta. Prince Jeremi Wisniowiecki and Chmielnicki were real characters from the events that occurred in the XXVI century. Others, like Jur Bohun, were based on a historical figure, Ivan Bohun, a cossack leader executed by firing squad in 1664.
For me, the first contact with Sienkiewicz writings were, at same time, a pleasure and a disappointment.
A pleasure because I had the opportunity to get in touch with Poland and Ukraine's history. I was I was motivated to seek information from other sources on the accounts of the Cossack uprising and the actual characters involved in the event. I learned a little about the geography and social relations of the regions portrayed in the novel and was even encouraged to look for information about Sienkiewicz's life and other works. It was very pleasant.
On the other hand, the story is oversimplistic. Many characters are too much stereotyped. Skrzetuski, for instance, personifies the ideal of an ethical, loyal and correct Poland. The feelings Zagloba dedicated towards Princess Helena Kurcewicz, a person he saw just once in life and for a short period of time is simply too much. The cossacks are always depicted as violent, drunk and unintelligent individuals. I mean, you do not empathize with the characters. They are shallow, with predictable actions and reactions. Ok, the nationalist vein of the author objectified a quickly and easy identification of the characters by the readers. Notwithstanding, stereotyped characters are cool when they take diferente course of actions you expected. That's not the case. As a result, at a certain point the story becomes repetitive and predictable.
Is With Fire and Sword worth of reading ? Yes, it is. But don't expect too much.
