''Xavras Wyżryn'' is an

alternate history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

novel by the Polish science fiction writer

Jacek Dukaj Jacek Józef Dukaj (pronounced: ; born 30 July 1974) is a Polish science fiction and fantasy writer. His fiction explores such themes as alternate history, alternative physics and logic, human nature, religion, the relationship between science a ...

, published in 1997. An alternate history novels, it discusses Polish

martyrology A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...

, circling on the philosophical aspects of war, shows the thin line between

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

and

freedom fighter A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion. Termi ...

s. It has lots of action, which makes it a member of a

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction and military fiction that depicts the use of science fiction technology, including spaceships and science fiction weapons, weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters ...

genre. The story's divergence point is set during the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

by ending in a decisive Soviet victory. The actual story takes place in the 1990s and is told from the point of view of an American reporter, who is an

embedded journalist Embedded journalism refers to war correspondents being attached to military units involved in armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical interactions between journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in ...

with the anti-Soviet Polish resistance. In 1996, a young American reporter, Ian Smith, is sent by his news network to the

Soviet republic A soviet republic (from ), also called council republic, is a republic in which the government is formed of soviets (workers' councils) and politics are based on soviet democracy. During the Revolutions of 1917–1923, various revolutionary ...

of Poland, to document guerrilla actions of Polish

s against the Soviet regime. His task includes interviewing the charimastic leader of Polish Freedom Army, Colonel Xavras Wyżryn. Smith does not realize that during his long trip from Ukrainian

steppes In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropical gr ...

to Moscow along with hardened veterans of Polish forces, he will experience the horror of war in which there is no good and evil side. He also expect to find himself in the midst of the most reckless of Wyżryn's campaigns in which the Polish forces capture a Soviet

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear expl ...

and start to smuggle it towards Moscow.

Editions

The story has had two editions. It was first published in 1997, in a book entitled ''Xavras Wyżryn'', which contained the title story with a second one, "Zanim Noc" ("Before the Night"). In 2004, the story was reprinted in ''Xavras Wyżryn i inne fikcje narodowe'' (''Xavras Wyżryn and Other National Fictions'') and was this time accompanied by the following three short stories: "Sprawa Rudryka Z." ("The Case of Rudryk Z."), "Przyjaciel prawdy" ("Friend of the Truth") and "Gotyk" ("Gothic").

Summary

Backstory

After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 ...

managed to regain its freedom but not for long since the

was lost in 1920. Poland became a

, along with the

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and the

Baltic states The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

. In the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

quickly took the chair of first secretary, and his regime tried to eradicate the

Polish culture The culture of Poland () is the product of its Geography of Poland, geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to History of Poland, an intricate thousand-year history. Poland has a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic ma ...

to prevent any

Polish uprisings This is a chronological list of wars in which Poland or its predecessor states of took an active part, extending from the reign of Mieszko I (960–992) to the present. This list does not include peacekeeping operations (such as UNPROFOR, UNTAES o ...

of the kind that had shaken 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 ...

in the 19th century. Thousands of Polish civilians were sent to

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. Speaking Polish or using the

national symbols of Poland National symbols of Poland () are the tangible and intangible symbols, emblems or images that are found in Poland to represent the country's unique customs, traditions, cultural life, and its over 1000-year history. These symbols serve as the nat ...

was punishable by death. The increased power of the Soviet Union and the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

meant that the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

soon signed treaties with the Soviets that allowed them to

annex Annex or annexe may refer to: Places * The Annex, a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. * The Annex (New Haven), a neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, United States. * Annex, Oregon, a census-designated place in the United ...

Poland. Meanwhile, another power rose in the south since the followers of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

created a huge empire in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

was far enough to ignore European problems but supported those armies conflict with the Soviet forces. Those conflicts were relatively minor and were mostly only "border engagements", as the media called them. In 1935, however, the "Great Bolshevik War" had the Soviets attempt to take control over

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

. The war took place mostly on the former Polish and Ukrainian territories and lasted until 1944, when Allied forces dropped three

atomic bombs A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear explos ...

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and

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 ...

to stop the Soviet armies. Millions were killed in the explosions, and many more died of

radiation poisoning Acute radiation syndrome (ARS), also known as radiation sickness or radiation poisoning, is a collection of health effects that are caused by being exposed to high amounts of ionizing radiation in a short period of time. Symptoms can start wit ...

. The area between the three bombed cities became known as the "Atomic Triangle". Children born there died at a young age from radiation sickness, and the few who survived were consumed by mutations. The Bolshevik War ended with the Treaties of Berlin, which were signed on Prussian territory. The Soviet Union and the League of Nations agreed to stop the bloodshed. Still, the countries taken by force in 1920 remained Soviet republics. After Stalin's death at the end of 1981, the Soviet regime in Poland eased up slightly, but the Soviets still maintained a huge garrison force there since they remembered all the

in Russia during the

partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

. People living inside the "Atomic Triangle" became hardened nearly soulless creatures, balanced on the edge of death and became numb because of the great suffering of the whole nation. Meanwhile, the Soviets had some minor border conflicts with China,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and Prussia. The

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

lasted until 1988, when Xavras Wyżryn appeared. He quickly organised a considerable

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

force, commanded his troops with uncommon charisma and valour and fought the Soviets on their own ground. His legend quickly spread around the world, and his victories inspired other nations to fight against the Soviets. Many local conflicts started, when

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

and Ukraine also started their own revolutions against Soviet occupants. In the south, the power of the Islamic empire increased under the command of a figure known only as

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

's Son. The war in the

began and was reminiscent of the old wars between the Russian Empire and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. In the east, China took the opportunity to attack the weakened Soviets and started yet another conflict. The whole Central-Eastern Europe was now known the European War Zone (EWZ), and reached as far as

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in the south,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

in the north, the border with Prussia in the west and the

Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

in the east. Battles took place mostly on radiated polluted territory.

Main plot

The plot of the novel starts in 1996. The whole European War Zone is no man's land, and its Soviet control is based on a strategy of "shoot first, ask questions later". Various partisan groups in an uneasy truce one another are scattered throughout the area and engaged in battles against small Soviet garrisons. German troops make occasional raids across the Polish border to test Soviet defences, and the Soviets retaliate in kind. Meanwhile, China's forces advance toward the

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

, and Muhammad's Son prepares a

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

in the Middle East. The US government secretly finances the guerrillas, and

fortifies its borders to defend against presumed Soviet or a Chinese attack, the latter of which is more feared.

Main characters

*Colonel Xavras Wyżryn is the commander of the AWP or Armia Wyzwolenia Polski (Polish Liberation Army), a considerable guerrilla force fighting the Soviet army in the European War Zone. His past is a mystery. He was born within the "Atomic Triangle" and has a visible mutation - the skin on his hands is red, as if burned. He was a junior officer in the Red Army, until he deserted and formed the AWP. He is a truly charismatic leader, inspiring his men to do unbelievable things, even sacrificing their lives for the "higher cause". For the freedom of his country he is capable of killing everyone standing in his way, including women, children and even his own men, calling this a "sacrifice for a better future". He is seen as a terrorist by the Soviets and as a romantic, tragic hero in the West. In the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

has even made a blockbuster movie about him, entitled "Uncatchable". A major US news network signed a contract with Wyżryn, offering him $250 million for exclusive interviews and footage from battlefields. Xavras understands the importance of media and

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

in modern warfare, so he censors the footage before it is sent to the network and makes himself a television celebrity. *Ian Smith - US news reporter sent by the network to film Xavras' actions. Because of his Polish descent and linguistic abilities, he is the network's natural choice after the previous reporter attached to Wyżryn was killed in action. Raised in a democratic country, he has moral doubts about Xavras and considers his brutal methods no better than the Soviet ones. The story is told from his point of view. *Jewriej (English: Yevrey) - Xavras' mysterious aide and advisor, with his face hidden behind a Balaclava, because of his alleged disfigurement, the result of mutation. It is said that radiation gave him

precognition Precognition (from the Latin 'before', and 'acquiring knowledge') is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future. There is no accepted scientific evidence that precognition is a ...

abilities and that Xavras is using them to escape Russian ambushes and to plan his actions. *Sienkiewicz's Triple - Three trusted companions of Xavras, who took their names ( Michał, Andrzej and Jan) after the characters from the books of

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as The Trilogy, the Trilogy series and especially ...

. Their missions are mostly undercover and they can almost literally disappear. It is they who lead Smith to Xavras' hideout. *Two Bodyguards - Xavras' guards, which are named by Ian after the

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

quotes printed on their T-shirts, because he does not know their real names and they look like twin brothers: "Another Horse Came Out, a Fiery Red One" (Revelation 6:4) and "The Sea Gave Up the Dead" (Revelation 20:13). Their fighting skills are exceptional and they are Xavras' most trusted soldiers.

Analysis

One of the author's inspirations was the

First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the invading Russia, Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty ...

; Xavras's

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

fighting against Soviet forces resemble Chechens battling with the

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

. The novel was analyzed in the context of the nuclear weapon motif in literature. Other threads of the work that received literary commentaries concern, among others, national and religious symbolism, the morality of terrorism and the role of the media in shaping public opinion. The novel has also been described as historiosophic, concerned with the

great man theory The great man theory is an approach to the study of history popularised in the 19th century according to which history can be largely explained by the impact of ''great men'', or heroes: highly influential and unique individuals who, due to th ...

. Piotr Przytuła wrote that Xavras Wyżryn is a story about how pop culture appropriates and transforms historical figures. The main character of the novel, Xavras Wyżryn, is a character referring to Polish 19th-century romantic national liberation traditions, but at the same time, a terrorist using nuclear weapons, described as "the ayatollah of ..Catholic jihad". Critics debate whether the story is patriotic or antipatriotic. As in the Chechen conflict, neither side holds a moral high ground since both commit horrible

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

to reach their goals. After the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

in 2001, a story about terrorists calling themselves "

s" gained much more meaning, and the book's dialogues on morals, ethics and freedom become deeper than ever.

References

External links

"Stronice Dukaja"
- Jacek Dukaj's official website, English version {{DEFAULTSORT:Xavras Wyzryn 1997 Polish novels Polish alternate history novels Characters in written science fiction Military science fiction novels Polish science fiction novels 1997 science fiction novels Novels set in the 1990s Novels set in Poland Novels set in Russia Novels set in Ukraine Nuclear war and weapons in popular culture Novels about terrorism Novels by Jacek Dukaj