''An Ancient Tale. Novel of Polish history'' () - is a

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

by popular 19th-century Polish writer

Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (28 July 1812 – 19 March 1887) was a Polish novelist, journalist, historian, publisher, painter, and musician. Born in Warsaw into a noble family, he spent much of his youth with his maternal grandparents in Romanów ...

published by ''Gebethner i Wolff'' (Gebethner & Wolff Publishers) in 1876 in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. This work was the first novel in Kraszewski's long series of historical novels dealing with various periods in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

's history. The second edition was published in 1879, in a lavishly illustrated form, with the plates done by then popular

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

Michał Elwiro Andriolli Michał Elwiro Andriolli (, ; 2 November 1836, in Vilnius 23 August 1893, in Nałęczów) was a Polish illustrator, painter and architect of Italian descent. He is notable for his illustrations to Mickiewicz's ''Pan Tadeusz'', as well as a d ...

. The manuscript of the novel was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. From May 2024, an autograph copy of the novel is presented at a

permanent exhibition in the Palace of the Commonwealth Permanent may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Permanent'' (film), a 2017 American film * ''Permanent'' (Joy Division album) * "Permanent" (song), by David Cook *"Permanent", a song by Alex Lahey from ''The Answer Is Always Yes'', 2023 Other ...

in Warsaw.

The content of the novel refers to old Polish stories and legends, including one about a cruel ruler prince,

Popiel Prince Popiel ІІ (or Duke Popiel) was a legendary 9th-century ruler of two proto- Polish tribes, the Goplans and West Polans. He was the last member of the Popielids, a mythical dynasty before the Piasts. According to the chroniclers Gal ...

. He is one of the novel's main characters, though the author calls him "Chwostek". The story takes place during the dimly known times of pre-Christian Poland, in the lands of the

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

Polans tribe.

Themes

The first theme of the novel is the political struggle between Chwostek, his wife Brunhilda and their court, as against the

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

s and free farmers. The Prince wants to introduce an absolute rule modeled on that of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

, while his subjects want to preserve their freedoms. As the struggle intensifies, The Prince commits ever more cruel acts (mutilations, murders etc.), causing his subjects to openly rebel against his rule. Weaker in warriors and support, the Prince calls for help from his German allies and a civil war rages. Finally Chwostek and his allies are defeated, he and his family die during the siege of his keep, and the clans and free farmers elect a new ruler,

Piast the Wheelwright Piast the Wheelwright ( 740/741? – 861? AD; Polish language, Polish: ''Piast Kołodziej'' , ''Piast Oracz'', i.e. Piast the Plower, or ''Piast''; ''Piast Chościskowic'', Latin language, Latin: ''Past Ckosisconis'', ''Pazt filius Chosisconisu'' ...

. The second theme of the novel, in addition to political, is the thread of love. Doman, a young but wealthy farmer and warrior, falls in love with beautiful Dziwa. She, however, believes that her calling is to serve the pagan gods, and therefore refuses to become his wife. Doman decides to do anything to win her love.

Analysis

The novel is seen as one of the precursors for

Slavic fantasy Slavic fantasy (, ) is a sub-genre of contemporary art (fantasy literature, Film, cinema, video games, visual arts) that developed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Slavic fantasy is distinguished by the incorporation of Slavic folklore, legend ...

genre.

Reception

The work has been called the most popular of Kraszewski's epic twenty-nine

historical novels Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

series covering the entire history of Poland. It is one of the most popular Polish novels by the number of editions; having received 78 editions in the period of 1944-2010.

Adaptations

The novel has been a subject of many adaptions: * In 1891 Alfred Szczepański published a drama in five parts based on the themes of ''Stara baśn'' titled ''Piast Pierwszy'' (''Piast I'') in Vienna, Austria, * In 1900 Julian Baczyński published, in

Chełmno Chełmno (; older ; , formerly also ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 18,915 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of the Chełmno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Due to its regional importance ...

, his book ''Królewna Hoża'' (''Princess Buxom'') inspired by the Kraszewski's novel. * In 1907 Władysław Żeleński brought to the

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

's stage his opera titled ''Stara baśń'' (''An Ancient Tale'') based on Kraszewski's work. * In 2003 story was adapted for the screen by the film director

Jerzy Hoffman Jerzy Julian Hoffman (; born 15 March 1932) is a Polish director, screenwriter, and producer. He received the Polish Academy Life Achievement Award in February 2006. Hoffman is best known for his works in ''The Deluge (film), The Deluge'' (1974) ...

as '' An Ancient Tale: When the Sun Was a God''.

Contents

Themes

Analysis

Reception

Adaptations

References

See also