''Inne pieśni'' (''Other Songs'') is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written in 2003 by

Jacek Dukaj Jacek Józef Dukaj (born 30 July 1974) is a Polish science fiction and fantasy writer. He has received numerous literary prizes including the European Union Prize for Literature and Janusz A. Zajdel Award. Career He was born on 30 July 1974 in ...

Polish science fiction Science fiction and fantasy in Poland dates to the late 18th century. During the latter years of the People's Republic of Poland, a very popular genre of science fiction was social science fiction. Later, many other genres gained prominence. Po ...

writer. It was published in Poland by

Wydawnictwo Literackie Wydawnictwo Literackie (abbreviated WL, lit. "Literary Press") is a Kraków-based Polish publishing house, which has been referred to as one of Poland's "most respected". Company history Since its foundation in 1953, Wydawnictwo Literackie has b ...

. The novel is a mixture of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

, and has been described as belonging to the genre of philosophical fiction as well.. The novel was well received by reviewers and critics, who commented on its original theme - an alternate Earth where the laws of physics, and philosophy, are different from that of ours. The novel received the prime Polish award for sci-fi literature,

Janusz A. Zajdel Award The Janusz A. Zajdel Award (''Nagroda imienia Janusza A. Zajdla''), often called just Zajdel, is the annual award given by the Polish science fiction and fantasy fandom for the best stories published in the previous year. The winners are chose ...

, in 2003. The book was translated to Russian (2014) and Bulgarian (2015).

Universe

The universe of the book is similar to ours with one major exception: instead of

laws of physics Scientific laws or laws of science are statements, based on repeated experiments or observations, that describe or predict a range of natural phenomena. The term ''law'' has diverse usage in many cases (approximate, accurate, broad, or narrow) a ...

as known to us, the universe is ruled by

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

, and to a lesser extent by

Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...

ian

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. There are no

atoms Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, an ...

or other

particle In the Outline of physical science, physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscule in older texts) is a small wikt:local, localized physical body, object which can be described by several physical property, physical or chemical property, chemical ...

s, just five elements. All Matter is composed of those five elements, mixed in proportions determined by the Form. Every Substance is fulfilling its ideal Form, ''morphe'', which "exists" separately from the Matter, ''hile'', but appears only in Substance. There's no

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

in nature. Nature is teleological and has a purpose. The Sun and all the planets are circling Earth, and they move not in

vacuum A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often dis ...

but in aether. Diseases are the signs of mind's insanity, the weakness of Form. Forms determine Matters, and human

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

can change Forms. Thus, the

human mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

is able to shape reality in an indirect way, to some degree, and the most powerful minds have a large area effect — their ''anthos'' (auras, fields of influence) can affect entire lands. The Earth is divided into dozens of dominions, each under the pressure of Form of ''kratistos'' (man) or ''kratista'' (woman): individuals having the most powerful Forms; their ''anthos'' influences culture, language, law of whole nations, even biology of animals and plants there. Having entered the domain of ''kratistos'', one gradually finds it more and more natural to behave like him, to look like him, to think like him — to be him. People with a weaker form can be easily dominated by those with a more powerful Form. In the aura of a despot everyone is a little more egoistic and harsh; in the aura of a hedonist everyone is a little prettier and sensual. Travelers will be affected by the ''anthos'', acquiring attributes of the land they enter, up to and including its language. People can try to train their ''anthos'', and there are specializations of personal auras — for example in the presence of ''ares'' — a natural born warrior — everything is a deadly weapon and an accidental punch can be a devastating blow.

Plot introduction

Twelve centuries have passed since the

fall of Rome The fall of the Western Roman Empire (also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome) was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vas ...

; fewer since the death of Kristos (

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

). Hieronim Berbelek was once a powerful ''strategos'' (a natural born leader whose form makes other people listen to him or her), but when he was defeated by one of the ''kratistoses'', known as the Warlock, his Form and spirit were broken, reduced to those of a lowly merchant, a sad, small man, easily molded by others with stronger Forms. However, a chain of events sets him off on a journey — first to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, and later into many new lands, from the depths of Warlock's domain, through the fabled

Library of Alexandria The Great Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. The Library was part of a larger research institution called the Mouseion, which was dedicated to the Muses, th ...

and mysterious flying city, to the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

colony, and on this journey he may have a chance of regaining his Form…

Influence and interpretation

Dukaj's primary influence have been the philosophical concepts of

, such as his conjectures on Form and Matter. Greek vocabulary, or vocabulary inspired by Greek language, is heavily used in the work. The work is also heavily influenced by the ideas of

Witold Gombrowicz Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 – July 24, 1969) was a Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937 he published his f ...

's ''

Ferdydurke ''Ferdydurke'' is a novel by the Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz, published in 1937. It was his first and most controversial novel. The book has been described as a " cult novel". Contents Gombrowicz himself wrote of his novel that it is not ". ...

''. Coupled with his experiences in

, the resulting book is hard to put into any normal

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

, leading many to describe it as a kind of ' philosophical fiction'. Philosophical, because Dukaj introduces an overwhelming array of philosophical concepts, but also fiction: the book has no essays or lengthy monologues, it is full of action and colorful characters. Aleksandra Klęczar noted that the book deals with the concept of otherness, as while it is set in the somewhat recognizable history, it portrays a world functioning according to a different set of physical and philosophical rules than ours. Among the influences, she counted classic science fiction form of

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

, comparing his style to Dukaj's, particularly in the context of both descriptions and character's dialogues, focused on describing the fantastical world present. Other influences she noted, particularly in the context of the exploration and adventure subplot, were those of

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...

and

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in t ...

. She also noted that the novel is closer to fantasy genre than science fiction.

Reception

The novel received the prime Polish award for sci-fi literature,

, in 2003, as well as the for that year. It also received a special mention at the . It was nominated for

Paszport Polityki Paszport Polityki (Polityka's Passport) is an annual Polish cultural award presented by the weekly magazine ''Polityka'' since 1993. It is presented in six major categories: literature, film, theatre, classical music, popular music, visual arts ...

and

Nautilus Award Nautilus Award was a Polish science fiction and fantasy award created by Robert J. Szmidt of the ''Science Fiction magazine''. The award is named after the cephalopods of that name (nautilus The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of t ...

. Reviewing the book for ' in 2003, Eryk Remiezowicz called it the most refined work of Dukaj's to date. He called it a "perfect puzzle", with every mystery having a logical solution, and every hint eventually fitting into the wider picture. He praised the world building, calling it a seamless creation with no plot holes. Also that year, Wojciech Orliński reviewed it for the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper. Orliński praised Dukaj for his novel ideas, for vivid description of the portrayed world, and described the main character as the most interesting protagonist created up to this point by Dukaj. He concluded that this is the best work Dukaj has written so far. Klęczar in 2004 called the work a proof that Dukaj is the most imaginative of contemporary Polish writers when it comes to world building, and in the context of originality and profundity of the new ideas, compared this book to

Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

's ''Left Hand of Darkness''. She concluded that the work is exemplary and deserves to be recognized as a classic of Polish literature. Jarek Rusak, who reviewed it for ' portal in 2013, described the book as challenging, but worth the effort, and praised the author's for the work's originality..

References

External links