Fire in the Steppe [Pan Wolodyjowski] (The Trilogy, Book III) [Hardcover]

Henryk Sienkiewicz (Author), W. S. Kuniczak (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

Close on the heels of the magnificent With Fire and Sword and The Deluge, comes this impassioned tale of love, war, heroism, treason and betrayal, with which the great classic Trilogy of Poland's most popular 19th century writer is brought to an end. Fire in the Steppe is the final book of Sienkiewicz's literary masterpiece which grips and enthralls just as powerfully today as it did when it was first published in Polish in 1883-1889. It is an epic tale of love and adventure set in the savage wilderness of Poland's eastern borderlands in the 17th century, and it is also the most realistic of Sienkiewicz's novels. The Trilogy's most memorable heroes, Pan Zagloba and Pan Volodyovski, are joined here by the unforgettable Basia, whose own adventures ring with strength, courage and determination against the bloody background of raids, border battles, and invasion by the awesome armies of the Turkish Empire in 1672. Told by a master storyteller who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1905, Fire in the Steppe concludes the stories of the Trilogy's fabulous heroines and heroes who live, love and die in these pages of Poland's most enduring epic. As in the first two books, it is a masterful blend of history and imagination in which the East and the West of their era confront each other in an all-out battle, and a handful of devoted men and women makes a heroic stand. Foremost among them is Pan Volodyovski, the Little Knight of The Deluge and With Fire and Sword, and the brave, loving Basia, who rides to war beside him and overcomes terrifying dangers of her own. The inimitable Pan Zagloba, one of literature's most successfully drawn comic anti-heroes, lives, drinks, orates, and flourishesbeside them along with a new cast of hard-riding border knights, ruthless villains, and devoted soldiers. Chief among them is the indomitable Basia who brings love to Pan Volodyovski and destruction to a dangerous abductor; the tragic Eva and her brother Adam whose trust and caring b

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First published in 1887, this lengthy saga completes Sienkiewicz's populist trilogy (after With Fire and Sword and The Deluge ), which Kuniczak's convincing translation brings to life for the contemporary reader. The Polish people's struggle against Cossacks, Tartars and Turks in the 1670s prefigures modern Poland's quest for nationhood in this installment of the rousing epic of love, war, adventure and madness. Basia, the gutsy, bright, determined heroine, who chases bandits on horseback, riding a man's saddle, almost steals the show from her Hamlet-like husband, Col. Pan Vol od yov ski. A master of robust, old-fashioned realism, Sienkiewicz mixes fictional characters, like his boisterous villain, the shrewd old knight Pan Zagloba, with historical figures like Jan Sobieski, the careworn Grand Hetman of Poland, nemesis of the Turks and savior of Christendom at Vienna. Sienkiewicz's fierce, larger-than-life characters unself-consciously stride across the stage of history. His portrayal of the Polish Commonwealth averting anarchy and pulling together holds a timeless message of hope.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This novel's superb characters, plot, and themes combine for a rousing conclusion to the "Trilogy" series ( With Fire and Sword , LJ 3/15/91; The Deluge , LJ 12/91). Volodyovski, the "little knight" who courageously soldiered his way through the previous volumes, first in Skshetuski's shadow and then Kmita's, here rides forth as Poland's greatest hero. No other character in the "Trilogy" is so universal in his appeal, and Fire in the Steppe is his story. Like Volodyovski himself, this work champions romance through his enduring love for Basia, the impish soldier/princess. Then together these lovers command the martial stage, standing against the Turks' surging might and the Tartar Horde, standing firm on the rock of Kamyenetz in defense of Poland, church, and God. Great literature stands on such enduring themes, and in this inspiring work, Sienkiewicz taps the essence not only of a nation but of all people. In future years, his achievement and that of translator Kuniczak will never be denied. Highly recommended.
- Paul E. Hutchison, Bellefonte, Pa.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 717 pages
• Publisher: Copernicus Society of America / Hippocrene Books; 1st edition (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781800250
• ISBN-13: 978-0781800259
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Slavic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the final disaster, July 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire in the Steppe [Pan Wolodyjowski] (The Trilogy, Book III) (Hardcover)

This book can only have its strongest impact if you've read the first two books of the Trilogy first. I can't say more about the shock of the ending without giving the plot away entirely, but, having all of the strengths of the first two novels -- historical accuracy, epic story-telling style, characters who, fictional or historical, are alike human and complex, deep sense of the vagaries of religious belief, the occasional touch of humor and love-stories on the Great Romance scale -- it is really this one, where the diminutive Pan Michal finally finds love and Poland finds its long home, that truly rocks the reader's soul.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best written novel ever in a faithful translation., July 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire in the Steppe [Pan Wolodyjowski] (The Trilogy, Book III) (Hardcover)

Without reciting the book cover, this book and the trilogy it came from is one of the finest pieces of literature ever created. It is easy to quickly consume and dispose of a Steven King novel or any in the popular genre, but the skillful crafting or characters and fascinating plot in Sienkiewicz trilogy deserves the respect and admiration of any one who claims to love literature.

I suggest it strongly. Reading it was a life changing experience for me. Consistent with the theme, it truly "uplifts the hearts." Of the Polish nation and now with the masterful translation by Kuniczak, a young man in the United States too!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Epics and Don't be Afraid of Epics, December 9, 2001

By 

Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti "PioNoNo" (Fullerton, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fire in the Steppe [Pan Wolodyjowski] (The Trilogy, Book III) (Hardcover)

I am not Polish or of Polish descent nor does one have to be to read and enjoy these masterpieces.

I could not put down any of the books in this series. The heroes, the villians and the women were enthralling. I particularly enjoyed the Catholic Christian aspect of the books and the importance of the spiritual to the soldiers involved. I would most highly recommend Sienkiewicz to any person who loves adventure, fidelity and God.