Polish Fables [Hardcover]

Ignacy Krasicki (Author), Barbara Swiozinska (Illustrator), Gerard T. Kapolka (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

Ignacy Krasicki (1735-1801) was hailed as 'The Prince of Poets' by his contemporaries. In 1779, sixty-five of his fables, which used contemporary events and human relations to show a course to guide human conduct, were published. These fables present a world where reason is valued over sentiment, true to the enlightenment ideal. But the rhymes also sugar coar a bitter message: depicting a world where the strong continually take advantage of the weak. Many of the fables, which were published after the first partition of Poland in which Russia, Prussia and Austria took their first bites of their weaker neighbour, should also be read for their political implications. This bilingual edition includes English translation by Gerard Kapolka and twenty-two illustrations by well-known Polish artist Barbara Swidinska.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Bees And The Ants
The Bigot
Birds In A Cage
The Block Of Ice And The Crystal
Books
The Bread And The Sword
The Child And The Father
Children And Frogs
The Chinese Emperor And His Son
The Doctor And Health
The Driver And The Butterfly
The Drunk
The Elephant And The Bee
The End
The Flattering Mirror
Friends
The Geese
Gluttony And Envy
The Haycart
The Heron, The Fish, And The Crab
The Humble Lion
The Insubordinate Oxen
The Lamb And The Wolves
The Lion And The Animals (1)
The Lion And The Animals (2)
The Little Fish And The Pike
The Little Hare
The Man And Health
The Man And The Mirrors
The Man And The Wolf
The Master And The Dog
Mice
The Mouse And The Cat
Neighbors
The Nightingale And The Goldfinch
The Oak And The Saplings
The Ocean And The Tagus River
The Ox And The Ants
The Ox Minister
The Painters
The Peacock And The Eagle
Peas Along The Road
The Philosopher
The Philosopher And The Orator
The Philosopher And The Peasant
Preface To The Fables
The Sage And The Fool
The Sheep And The Shepherd
The Shepherd And The Sheep
The Sick Lion
The Skylark
The Steed And The Colt
The Stream And The Fountain
The Stream And The River
The Sunflower And The Violet
To The Children
The Traveler
The Turtle And The Mouse
Two Dogs
Wine And Water
The Wolf And The Sheep (1)
The Wolf And The Sheep (2)
A Wolf Cub
Wolf Cubs
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Language Notes

Text: English, Polish (translation)
Original Language: Polish

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books; Bilingual edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781805481
• ISBN-13: 978-0781805483
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #798,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Polish History Through Fables, December 30, 2001

By 

Judith Miller (Bluemont, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Polish Fables (Hardcover)

Over 60 fables are presented in this book. Every
parable is first written in the original Polish form
and then the English translation is given. I liked
the fact that I could go back and forth between the
two translations and learn a few words in Polish.
I also enjoyed the many illustrations that were done
by Barbara Swidzinska, but I wish that all of the
fables had been illustrated.

The subject matter is much more complicated than the
titles imply. Here's a sampling of the fables: In the
tale of THE HUMBLE LION, when a king asks his subjects
to speak the truth, it could be a deadly mistake. Or in
FRIENDS, the story of a hare who was a kind and good
friend to all. When the hare needs help, he's given a
lesson in his choice of friends. Finally, with the fable
of THE HERON, THE FISH, AND THE CRAB we all learn
that a traitor eventually gets caught.

As a group, these fables were published after the death
of Ignacy Krasicki in the year 1803. Although, we're
told that many of these pieces were individually
published at an earlier date. Krasicki (1735-1801) was
referred to as "the Prince of Poets" by his contemporaries.
Most of these pieces have political connotations and were
written after the first partition of Poland when the
surrounding countries of Russia, Austria and Prussia
conquered and divided Poland among themselves.

I'ts a pleasure to have this literary work translated for
us by Gerard T. Kapolka. My thanks to him.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining book and a thinking book, January 25, 2002

By 

stature "stature" (tu) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Polish Fables (Hardcover)

This is a great book. Even if you can't read the original language, it has a very good English translation. They are fables with a message that are entertaining to read and think about for today's time. But there is another meaning behind these fables (commentary and criticism of the author's period of history). These fables address the political and social issues facing the people in partitioned Poland.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A collection of fables written by Ignacy Krasicki, October 26, 2003

By 

Richard J. Brzostek (New England, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Polish Fables (Hardcover)

"Polish Fables" is a collection of fables by Ignacy Krasicki (1735-1801). As this book is a bilingual edition, it has first the Polish version, then the English version translated by Gerard T. Kapolka. The fables read like short poems, almost always rhyming (even the English version). Some of the fables have accompanying illustrations. This hardcover book is just over 100 pages.

These fables are not necessarily the best stories for children as many are sad and end with the death of the character (i.e., the wolf kills the sheep). As the introduction stated, this may be a political message in response to Poland being partitioned at the time by its stronger neighbors, Russia, Austria and Prussia.