About the Book
The year 2022 has been designated the Year of Romanticism in Poland.
An even two hundred years have passed since the first publication of Adam Mickiewicz's Ballads and Romances - a collection of lyrics which has the same significance for Polish literature as Wordsworth and Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads has for the English.
Poems of love, the supernatural, and the exotic, Mickiewicz's first volume of poetry achieved a level of sublimity that immediately set him at the head of all Polish writers - a position he sustained throughout his life with his lyrical, narrative, dramatic, and epic poetry, and which he continues to hold today. In cooperation with the Polish Cultural Institute of London, Glagoslav brings out an anniversary edition of Mickiewicz's Ballads and Romances in the English translation of Charles S. Kraszewski.
The collection includes all the poems of the 1822 edition, plus the ballads added shortly before the poet's death to the 1852, Leipzig edition.
This publication is generously supported by the Polish Cultural Institute in London.
About the Author :
Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) is the national poet of Poland. He was successful in every genre at which he tried his hand, setting the benchmark for excellence in poetry, prose and drama for all the writers that came after him. His lyric poems, collected in Ballads and Romances [Ballady i romanse, 1822], ushered in the Romantic Movement in Polish literature. His Erotic and Crimean Sonnets [Sonety milosne and Sonety krymskie, 1826] form one of the most accomplished cycles in that demanding form since Petrarch. His narrative poems, Konrad Wallenrod (1828) and Grażyna (1823), reveal his sustained mastery with longer poetic genres. Mickiewicz's epic in twelve cantos, Pan Tadeusz (1834), is universally recognized as Poland's national epic, as well as the last Vergilian epic written in Europe.Prose occupies a rather minor niche in Mickiewcz's corpus of writings. The quasi-Biblical Books of the Polish Nation and Polish Pilgrimage [Księgi narodu i pielgrzymstwa polskiego, 1832] put the English reader in mind of a more practicable William Blake. With their socially and politically-applied Christianity, Mickiewicz had an appreciable influence on the thought of his friend, Lammenais. Finally, his Cours de littérature slave professé au Collége de France, delivered during his exile in Paris, and published posthumously in 1860, is one of the first balanced and comprehensive accounts of the Slavic traditions in literature and culture to meet Western eyes.It is impossible to assess the importance of Adam Mickiewicz to the Polish consciousness. During the period of the Partitions, which lasted from 1795 until 1918, Poles looked to Mickiewicz for the guidance that political figures could not supply them. He died in exile, trying to raise troops in Turkey for the Polish independence struggles. Charles S. Kraszewski (b. 1962) is a poet and translator, creative in both English and Polish. He is the author of three volumes of original verse in English (Diet of Nails; Beast; Chanameed), and one in Polish (Hallo, Sztokholm). He also authored a satirical novel Accomplices, You Ask? (San Francisco: Montag, 2021). He translates from Polish, Czech and Slovak into English, and from English and Spanish into Polish. He is a member of the Union of Polish Writers Abroad (London) and of the Association of Polish Writers (SPP, Kraków). In 2022 he was awarded the Gloria Artis medal (III Class) by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Poland.
Review :
In the realm of Polish literature, Adam Mickiewicz's "Ballads and Romances" holds a position of unparalleled significance, akin to the impact of Wordsworth and Coleridge's "Lyrical Ballads" on English literature. This year, 2022, marks the bicentennial of its first publication and has been fittingly declared the Year of Romanticism in Poland. To celebrate this milestone, Glagoslav, in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Institute of London, has released an anniversary edition of this timeless classic, translated into English by Charles S. Kraszewski.
"Ballads and Romances" is a collection of lyrical poetry that explores themes of love, the supernatural, and the exotic. Mickiewicz's first volume of poetry achieved a level of sublimity that immediately elevated him to the pinnacle of Polish literature, a position he maintained throughout his life with his lyrical, narrative, dramatic, and epic poetry, and continues to hold today.
The anniversary edition includes all the poems from the 1822 edition, as well as the ballads added to the 1852 Leipzig edition shortly before Mickiewicz's death. The translator, Charles S. Kraszewski, has done a commendable job of capturing the essence and beauty of Mickiewicz's original work, making it accessible to a wider audience.
Mickiewicz's poetry is characterized by its profound emotional depth and evocative imagery. His ballads and romances transport the reader to a world where love intertwines with the supernatural and the exotic, creating a unique tapestry of human experience and emotion. Each poem is a journey, a narrative that unfolds with a rhythm and cadence that is both soothing and stirring.
This anniversary edition of "Ballads and Romances" is more than just a tribute to Adam Mickiewicz's literary genius. It is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to transcend borders and time. Whether you are a long-time fan of Mickiewicz's work or a newcomer to Polish literature, this book is a must-read. It offers a chance to experience the depth and breadth of Mickiewicz's poetic vision and to appreciate why he remains one of Poland's most revered literary figures.
