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Adam Mickiewicz(1798-1855) is arguably Poland's greatest poet. Born in Nowogrdek in what is now Belarus, he is often compared to Goethe and Byron, and was the dominant figure in Poland's Romantic Movement. Banished as a political subversive to central Russia in 1824, he was welcomed into the leading literary circles of Saint Petersburg and Moscow where he became a favorite for his agreeable manners and extraordinary talent for poetic improvisation. In 1829, he left the Russian Empire for a life of perpetual exile in Italy, France and Switzerland. For three years he lectured on Slavic literature at the Collge de France in Paris. He died in Constantinople while helping organize Polish and Jewish forces against Tsarism in the Crimean War of 1855. Among his great works besidesPan Tadeuszare his poetic dramaDziady(Forefathers' Eve), his historical narrative poemsGraynaandKonrad Wallenrod, and his sublimeCrimean Sonnets. His body rests in the crypt of the Wawel Cathedral in Krakw, Poland. Christopher Adam Zakrzewskiis a literary translator, teacher, and scholar. Born in 1948 and raised in the UK and Ontario, Canada, he pursued his doctorate in Russian and Polish literature at the University of British Columbia. Zakrzewski served as a professor of languages and literature at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry's Bay, Ontario. Now retired, he resides with his wife Wendy in the village of Wilno, Ontario. They have five children and nine grandchildren.
“Truly a masterpiece! Christopher Zakrzewski has accomplished the impossible: he has rendered in prose what seemed conveyable only in poetry. Poland’s great epic poem can now be read as a delightful historical tale replete with Romantic irony. Zakrzewski’s mastery of the English language is remarkable.” — Ewa Thompson, Rice University “In this extraordinarily fine prose rendering, Christopher Zakrzewski brings his own prodigious gifts as a poet and translator to one of the great classics of world literature. The fruit of Zakrzewski’s decades-long labors, this book is a treasure of immeasurable value. — Michael D. O’Brien, novelist, painter “Perfectly smooth, highly expressive, subtly nuanced, Christopher Zakrzewski’s translation does full justice to this brightest jewel in the crown of Polish literature.” — Kazimierz Braun, Polish author, scholar, theater artist “Christopher Zakrzewski’s English prose is marvelously, not to say magically consonant with the poetical richness of Mickiewicz’s great Polish national saga.” — Dr. Olga Glagoleva, Senior Associate, Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto “Pan Tadeusz is a masterpiece of Romantic literature and a key to the heart, mind, and soul of the Polish people and nation. This new edition will, I hope, make a challenging text far more accessible to the broad audience that Adam Mickiewicz deserves.” — Professor George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies, Ethics and Public Policy Center
