Quo vadis

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HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ The spectacle of the burning of Romé, the Román amphitheatre where gladiators fought to the death and Christians were slaughtered by wild beasts -the pomp, splendor and decadence of a civilization ripe for decay-these are the materials from which Sienkiewicz fashioned his panoramic historical növel. Using as his backdrop the later years of Nero's ruie (54-68 A.D.), Sienkiewicz vivified events and figures from history and wove in amongst the actual events and characters his own imaginary figures. Such is the art of the historical novelist and Henryk Sienkiewicz succeeded admirably well. His characters still fascinate us: Petronius, the manipulating and witty courtier; Marcus Vinicius, the Román centurion whose love for the Christian girl becomes the major force in his life; the lovely Lygia, whose faith never wavers even in the face of horrible death; and Nero, the evil egomaniac who gloats at the burning of Romé and stares at others through the eyeglass of a... Tovább

Fülszöveg

HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ The spectacle of the burning of Romé, the Román amphitheatre where gladiators fought to the death and Christians were slaughtered by wild beasts -the pomp, splendor and decadence of a civilization ripe for decay-these are the materials from which Sienkiewicz fashioned his panoramic historical növel. Using as his backdrop the later years of Nero's ruie (54-68 A.D.), Sienkiewicz vivified events and figures from history and wove in amongst the actual events and characters his own imaginary figures. Such is the art of the historical novelist and Henryk Sienkiewicz succeeded admirably well. His characters still fascinate us: Petronius, the manipulating and witty courtier; Marcus Vinicius, the Román centurion whose love for the Christian girl becomes the major force in his life; the lovely Lygia, whose faith never wavers even in the face of horrible death; and Nero, the evil egomaniac who gloats at the burning of Romé and stares at others through the eyeglass of a monstrous emerald. In Poland, where it was first published, the book became a popular success. It was translated into English, into all the European languages, and into several Orientál languages as well. For thirty years after its publication in 1895, Quo Vad is was probably one of the most widely read novels in the world-and its story endures. Vissza